Alan Moore Obscurities: Supreme - The Return (#53-56, The Return #1-6) PART TWO

"You are right master.  I must face up to my responsibilities" - Radar

So it's the year 2000 and Alan Moore is riding high again.  With multiple awards for his work at America's Best Comics, which include such classics as Top Ten, Promethea, Tom Strong and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, he is going through a Golden Age that I would argue tops even his era of work at 2000AD and DC in the 1980's. From Hell has finally been collected and brought out of obscurity in the process, Lost Girls is getting wider attention.  And somewhere else, published by Rob Liefeld's collapsing company Awesome Comics, his run on Supreme finally breathes it's last and ends... no1curr.  As I said in the previous part which looked at the first five chapters of this compilation, once the twelve issue Story Of The Year was concluded, Moore seemingly didn't know what to do with the character.  So we got clumsy and mean-spirited meta, random pop-cultural references and scattershot satire as he tried to hook the series onto something, anything that he could find that worked. However, by the time these five issues were published Moore was gone from Awesome and the initial ABC comics line-up was starting up under his close supervison.  It took over a year to get these  five comics drawn and put out and lacking Chris Sprouse and Al Gordon to give it a unified if not very good look these last few don't flow with any visual coherence and it all ends very abruptly - more on that in the conclusion.  So here we are, please enjoy the dying gasps of the Image dominated 90's style with this look at issues #2-6 of Supreme - The Return.

We begin with a revisit of the fate of Supreme's arch enemy Darius Dax as chronicled in The Story Of The Year.  He decided to merge with a chunk of Supremium to increase his power but ended up being thrown back in time becoming the original meteorite that gave Ethan his power back in 1925.  And then nothing.  Until we see him coming round on the floor of a street confronted by a black man spouting jive so bad I can't even bring myself to type it out, he's the "Daxman" and he's accompanied by a metal man with a human face called "Daxor" and a large bearded man called "Original Dax".

Darius gets up, wondering where he is, he's told he is in Daxia where all Daxs who are "rubbed out of continuity" go.    Now annoyed Darius snatches Daxs Daxor's molecular disruptor from him. He calls them dopplegangers and threatens them but gets shot in the back by "Darius Duck".  After a brief argument amongst themselves they have Daxor use his levitation field to take him to the "Daxadrom".  Waking up Darius asks why he is in a world dedicated entirely to him, but is told he'll get his answers from the person highest in the pecking order.

Welcome to Daxia.

That turns out to be "Maxi-Dax", sitting on a throne attended by men dressed as Supreme.  Darius says he looks like he did before he died of cancer.

Maxi-Dax: "Cancer?  Heh heh.  Is that how modern viilains die?  In my day, we usually fell into the reactor of our own destruction!"

He takes Darius to the balcony and shows him hundreds of versions of him which Darius thinks is a utopia.  Maxi-Dax says the place only came into existence sixty years ago, before that it was a limbo dimension.  When Maxi-Dax calls over Original Dax, Darius takes offence saying he is the original.

"You and a thousand others" laughs Maxi-Dax, they all share the same date of birth of 1917 but all different 1917's. Orginal Dax says he doesn't remember much of his childhood and he became a crime boss in Omega City in 1939.   But Supreme used to spoil his fun, although this Supreme got his powers from a magical belt.  He killed Original Dax and sent him to an all white dimension, but with bits of the city floating in it.  Everything connected with him got crossed out "like someone had second thoughts about my existence."

Then another Dax joined him a couple of years later and more kept coming.  Darius says "you're talking as if reality was some sort of story, being constantly revised."  Maxi-Dax says he catches on fast.  He was a Dax who's Supreme was an alien from the planet Supron and fighting him made him especially ingenious.  When he came to limbo in 1966 he organised building Daxia using the planet he had populated which had come with him as raw material and his Daxinoids as the workforce.

He tells Darius that they don't know why all this happens, all they can do is pool information with all the new Daxs as they arrive.  He takes Darius to a limosuine where they drive to the "Salon Du Dax".   On the way Maxi-Dax tells him that although Darius believes he was born in 1917, actually he only sprang into existence around 18 months ago according to their sensors.  "You're saying my entire existence before 1966 is.. is retrospective?" says Darius disblievingly.  Maxi-Dax says not to let it bother him, "retro's very big right now, didn't you hear?"

More Daxes.

They go to a table with several other Daxs and Darius tells them the story of how he ended up merging with the Supremium and becoming part of a time loop that created Supreme. They realise that Earth is now currently without a Dax.  Darius asks if he could just go back.  Maxi-Dax says that he's dead and it would be "a breach of continuity logic."  The others say it could shatter all the rules of existence and lead to chaos and universal disorder.  They then all "hmmmm" thoughtfully.

Maxi-Dax decides they will do it.  They summon as many Daxs as possible to the Plaza of Pestilence to observe. Darius then worries some cosmic law might cause him to "wink out of existence altogether".  Maxi-Dax says that's why they are letting him try it out first.  Darius Duck has brought his "prototype dimensional doorway" with him.   They use the energy of "Doomsdax" to power it.  They set coordinates to his secret hideout in Omegaopolis. They bid him farewell and Darius steps through and arrives safe and sound.

Back to life, back to reality.

Grinning evilly, he activates the hideout's computer and requests to know what Supreme has been up to lately.   And all his stuff in the hideout is in perfect working order.  Darius says that now he knows that where there is a Supreme there must be a Dax and this has inspired him to redouble his efforts to find Supreme and kill him.  The chapter ends with Ethan (Supreme's alter-ego) looking distracted at work and shivering.

Then he says to Diana Dane (she writes the comic - Omniman - that he draws) that he thought she and Supreme got along quite well when they met.  He says he can ask Supreme to take her on a tour of the Citadel so she can get a feel for the world of a male superhero which she's been struggling with.   She agrees to that and Ethan is happy again.

Diana is now being shown around the Citadel by Supreme.   She is marvelling at all the cool stuff he has.  She is especially impressed by his garden which has plants from other planets growing in it.  Then he takes her to the large crystal which is Amalynth, where people turned to light by Optilux end up.  Supreme says they can visit, as he hasn't been for a while. Using special helmets their minds can manifest in there, so they suit up and enter.

They appear, both of them now in superhero-style costumes which seem to be the look in Amlynth.  Supreme says he has property and a cover identity here, he's "Rolyat Ladnek" and she can be his visting cousin "Adnil Ladnek".  They drop down and bump into a man who knows Supreme, he tells them they sentenced Optilux to "hard refraction life in our photo penitentary".

The man mentions they have been having trouble with "beam bandits", Supreme pulls Diana away as she asks what they are.  Beam Bandits apparently steal payloads of data which are currency in Amlynth.   Supreme doesn't have his powers here, but he's got some gadgets back in the Citadel which he is using to alter their images so he can become they can become "Dr. Dark and Duskwing" and they fly up to take on the bandits.

Crimefighting in Amlynth.

They fly up and Supreme confronts them,  when they refuse to come quietly Supreme makes him and Diana turn invisible.   Diana disarms one of them as they start panicking.  She shoots one of them as a warning and the others surrender without a fight. "I knew you'd see the light eventually" puns Diana.  Supreme says she was terrific and they drop the criminals off at the penitentiary.   They decide to return to their bodies on the Citadel after that.

Next Supreme decides to show Diana the League of Infinity's Time Tower as Suprema is still looking for Slaver Ant and Radar is in a bad mood.  He decides to show her the future as there is less chance of paradoxes that way.  He picks the 22nd century as it's not a place he's been to before.  They enter and the art style changes to a pulp Silver Age one.

They immediately observe two women in superhero costumes called "Fighting American IV" and "Speedgirl."  They are fighting a gang of Middle-Eastern Terrorists wearing fezs, but they outnumbered then a young Supreme called "Supremax" appears to come help.  Also everyone is speaking ridiculously.  Supreme finishes them off and impressed Supremax says:

Supremax: "Zow! That was the Disneyest thing I've ever nashed.  You Tysoned a whole squad of shriners!  What Rubiks me though, is why you're wearing a set of seekays just like mine!"

Alan, I thought we talked about this.  No one likes it when you make up future speech.  It makes it look silly.   Anyway Supreme introduces himself as Supreme from the 20th Century.

Supremax says he's his great grandson.  Supreme stutters that he's not even planning of having children.   But before they can talk more a man -  "Baxter Frunt" working for "Damien Dax" - who is conjoined twins stuck together back-to-back arrives saying that he can wipe out Supreme's line with one blast. Diana however chips in saying why doesn't he explain his origin to her?

Straight to the point Diana.

He starts to tell her then she asks if his anatomy has everything doubled. And when he affirms this she kicks one side of him hard in the nuts leaving him groaning on the floor.  When the heroes congratulate, Supreme lets slip her name is Diana.  Supremax recognises the name and says he has seen her picture in his mom's "digi-vision album".  This baffles Diana and Supreme decides it's time to leave.  Supremax bids them farewell saying it's not every day he gets to meet his ancestors.

Supreme picks up Diana and flies back to the time door saying " it's as if whichever way you travel, the past ends up knowing the future's business."  They arrive back into the Citadel and Supreme decides to treat her by taking her to "The Supremacy"  which is a dimension where Supremes from continuities that no longer exists end up.  They fly through the portal and arrive there.  They immediately bump into 50's Supreme and another Diana Dane.  She decides to take current Diana on a trip to meet other Dianas while Supreme heads off to watch the "Supreme-Bowl".

Diana is having a hard time realising there are other versions of her, 50's Diana introduces her to several other Diana's meeting in a snack bar. They include a black one, the "Sister Supreme" from the 70's, "Traumatised grim 80's Diana", Queen Diana from the 60's and finally "Diana Duck."  Diana realises they're from what she thinks are parallel dimensions where she is Supreme's girlfriend.  They ask if hers had made his move yet.  There is some banter about nobody liking strong career women which leaves Diana confused.  50's Diana decides to take her shopping.

Later Supreme is looking for his Diana, they meet and Diana has bought a few things.  Then 50's Diana spots her Supreme who has snorted Supremium and turned into a balloon.  She angrily drags him off after saying goodbye to Diana and Supreme and Diana return through the portal back to the Citadel.

He offers more of a tour, but Diana asks if he is doing all this to get her attention.  He looks suprised then says "well yes actually. What do people normally do?"  She takes his head and plants a tender kiss on his lips.  They deepen the kiss as he responds, then they break apart with Supreme saying "Oh God.. I've wanted to do that for so long".  She asks why he didn't and he says he was worried there might be repercussions... and the shot widens to show a miserable looking Radar (Supreme's superdog) listening to them.

Diana takes Supreme in hand.

Next chapter begins with Diana and Ethan, with Diana complaining that Supreme hasn't been in touch, at work when their editor Carl comes in.  His dog is heavily pregnant and about to give birth.  But she wasn't pregnant yesterday.  The dog starts giving birth and as the puppy is born it suddent shoots away like a small comet out of the office and into the sky.

Realising what this means Ethan leaves and changes into his Supreme identity.  As he hovers in the air he sees a lot of superfast, flying puppies trashing the city.  Several get together to raid the museum for dinosaur bones.  Angry now, Supreme flies to the Citadel.  Suprema is back and asking Radar help her find Slaver Ant.  But he says he's been a "bad dog" and he's going on a long walk to Betelguese, "don't bother refilling my dog bowl."

He flies off and not long after, Supreme arrives.  Suprema wants to know why he's angry with Radar, and Supreme says that after seventy years "Radar has discovered sex."  Suprema expresses her disgust then asks how he'll find him.  She thinks the flying puppies sound adorable though, but Supreme points out there are hundreds of them, not house trained.  He locates Radar and zooms off, shortly he returns holding Radar by the scruff.

Radar confesses his rapey night out.

Radar admits that he had sex with over three hundred female dogs.  His humping lasted around a fortieth of a second, "but it felt meaningful at the time."   What prompted it was him overhearing Supreme's kiss with Diana.  Suprema scolds him then decides to leave them to sort it out and goes to looks for Slaver Ant so they can brag about their conquests to each other.  She slams the door as she leaves.

Supreme says he doesn't understand women, Radar agrees saying the are both "in the doghouse".   They debate what they can do with a city full of flying puppies.  Some are currently using transatlantic cable as a dog chew.  Radar can hardly believe his "whelps" would behave so badly.  When they fly down to the city, the puppies are now looking like year old dogs.

Radar sends out a very loud command to them and they all congregate close by.   Radar is going to take them to a new planet of their own.  He's going to call it "Fidor" to signify faithfulness.   As all the dogs leave, Supreme says goodbye then says to himself that next time he visits they need to do some "surgery supreme" on him.

Ethan finishes the story to Diana, apparently they contacted Talos and he made them mechanical hands and they built Fidor for themselves.  At least that's what Supreme told him.   Diana grumbles that she has heard from him more than she has.  Ethan says Supreme maybe needs time to think.

Diana tells Ethan about all the cool things she saw, The Supremacy especially interested her.  She says it's exactly like when comic book continuities get revised, and that opens up a lot of possibilities for Omniman.  She's decided to incorporate the Supremacy idea into the comic.

Diana takes Supreme in hand.

Ethan says he really likes it. She says she is pleased with the idea but upset about the situation with Supreme.  Actually she's angry.  Ethan says Supreme wouldn't want her to be angry.  She says why doesn't he get in touch, everytime she think she is getting somewhere he run away.  Ethan doesn't say anything, just stares at her And she suddenly realises he is Supreme and says quietly "Oh. I get it."  Which brings this chapter to a premature end.  The rest of it is a filler story done Silver Age style about the League of Infinity which is so twee and boring I am just going to skip and carry on with the slightly more interesting Supreme storyline.

The next chapter starts with Billy Friday, the postmodern comicbook writer, who Supreme had committed to Miskatonic Asylum after a series of wacky events caused Billy to lose it slightly.  He is waiting to use the phone and when he finally gets to use it, he calls Diana.  He's being let out the next day and he is planning to call in to the office as part of his rejoining society.

He asks what the noise is in the background and we cut to her saying it's just the TV as Ethan strips off to reveal his Supreme costume.   She has to break the news to him that he didn't win any Eisners.  And she brings the call to an end.  Supreme stands over her and she says "so... here we are then."

Supreme says that she's taking it all well, she says she actually in shock still. She wonders why she, why nobody realises that Ethan is Supreme.  He says that's just the way things are for him, "part of my story" he concludes.  But she recognised him, and she says maybe that means she's part of his story too.

Meanwhile Darius Dax is talking with his computer which is called "Torquemada".  They are discussing how across all the realtities there is a version of him in conflict with a version of Supreme, "...it's almost as if our conflict was the sole reason for reality to exist... any reality!"  Torquemada says there is another constant across each reality - Supremium.

He muses that Supremium was synthesized by Supreme in the sixties, twenty-five years later he fused with it becoming Supremium Man. Then he fell back through time to 1925 where the meteorite gave Supreme its power and no Supremium exist outside of this time loop.   But Torquemada says there is an alternate world source of Supremium, Supremium Man Mk.1.  Dax says he remembers him from the 1930's, he was a teenager from an alternate world obssessed with collecting Supremium.  Back then he was called "Master Meteor."

Retro Master Meteor.

We then get a retro flashback.  A young Darius Dax has completed a machine to destroy Kid Supreme when suddenly a young man comes through a portal.  The being recognises the younger Dax and remembers to tell him he's called Master Meteor.  He introduces himself as an expert on Supremium and collects all different kinds which have different powers.  For example Emerald Supremium promotes growth in organic life.  Sapphire Supremium affects probabilities. Amber Supremium alters time and so on. 

Dax notes he doesn't mention White Supremium, and Master Meteor says that's what he's here for.  He knows it only exists in a narrow time-loop, "I suspect it's the point all Supremium originates from!"  Dax decides to show him where some is and they fly to Erwin Wells lab, Erwin tries to stop them but Master Meteor makes his lawn grow and traps Erwin in it.

Inside Master Meteor chips a small piece off the chunk and while he does so it turns his hair completely white. Then Kid Supreme and Radar arrive to stop them.  Master Meteor uses Sapphire Supremium power to make the house fall in on them, but that doesn't hold them.   He tries to trap them in a Ruby created bubble, but that doesn't work.  Finally he uses the White Supremium which starts to kill Kid Supreme and Radar.  Dax eggs him on but Master Meteor says he can't kill them now, it will cause a time paradox.

But then all his Supremium samples start flashing at random.  It starts to affect his mind. He stammers that he was in an asylum and had mental problems.  Supreme was the one who had him committed and now he wants revenge, but he must take it when Supreme is an adult to avoid a paradox.  And he activates his Amber Supremium and steps through a portal into the future.  This leaves Dax at the mercy of Kid Supreme and he gets a punch in the face for his antics and the flashback ends.

Dax digs out his Enigmatron while he wonders if he's part of another paradox and he is Supremium Man Mk.II as well.  He fires it up and watches.  At Dazzle comics a portal has opened and Master Meteor has come through it from the time of the flashback. Diana and Ethan arrive and Master Meteor suddenly confronts them calling himself Supremium Man.  Ethan hurries off and gets changed into his Supreme costume while Supremium Man rants about his vengeance.

Supreme and Supremium Man square off, but then Billy Friday shows up.  Supreme yells to keep him away from the Supremium, he doesn't want Billy exposed to it and mutating again.  When Diana tells him to stay away from the dangerous super-villain, Billy comes closer saying that actually villains are "plausibilty and differently moral". He asks to talk to him like he did in group.

Billy and Supremium Man merge.

He introduces himself to Supremium Man, while he talks about all the villains he met Supremium Man is panicking about the reaction his Supremium is having to Billy.   Billy takes Supremium Man by the hand.... and suddenly Billy disappears but his mind is transferred into Supremium Man's body.  He can hear Supremium in his head though and blames Supreme for deliberately trying to destroy his mind, but it hasn't worked "my personality is completely stable! In fact both of them are!"

He seems to be struggling though and says his Supremium collection is ruined as the White Supremium has burned out and it no longer exists in this reality.  So using the Amber Supremium he makes a portal into the time-loop and goes back in time saying the sentence he finished in Dax's flashback.  Later Diana and Ethan go to Ethan's apartment. She's surprised he has one when he has a Citadel in the sky.  He says he likes being round real people sometimes. Diana says she hopes that includes me and has he got over what repercussions their relationship might have. He says after last night he doesn't have any anxieties, he's Supreme dating the most beautiful girl in the world, "have I forgotten anything?"  End chapter with a close-up of the issue of Omniman they are working on.

The next and final chapter is one long tribute Jack "King" Kirby, a man of incredible imagination who created so many iconic characters for Marvel and DC and who at the time of when the scripts were obviously written had recently died.  With this finally struggling out in 2000 it was a little further away from his death.  Anyhoo, the story is that Supreme has got a call that something large has appeared in a Himalayan valley and he's gone to investigate. When he reaches to city and enters the mists he is drawn in a Kirbyesque style by Rick Veitch, but hilariously the couple of pages at the start and end are drawn by Rob Liefeld.  A man who never met his publishing dates, who showed no understanding of anatomy and page layout and whose credited characters were actually made who they were by other artists and writers that followed.  He is the anti-Kirby.

Anyway, through the mist Supreme finds a bunch of mechs and a whole city, it's industrialised but has statues of Roman Gods looming over Brooklyn Bridge.  I'll say now, I think all the characters he meets are pastiches of Kirby created ones, but I couldn't recognise some of them so forgive me for that.

While lost on thought his reverie is broken by "The Little Tough Guys" who he asks why they are there.  They say they are here because of the Monarch's will.  Then a man dressed in blue with a bin lid for a shield appears called "The Custodian", he says he and the Little Tough Guys are on a mission so Supreme should get lost. Supreme says he'd be glad to help, so he is told they are after "Dread" a master of science and sorcery he's currently "planning to awaken a diabolical monster who will destroy the Earth!"

"Dread" summons a monster.

Suddenly the monster "Baragoom, the creature that walked like a thing!"  Dread is with them and orders then to cower before his might.  Supreme starts beating up Baragoom and it starts to try and escape through the mists.  Supreme chases it but when he comes out of the mists it's World War II and "Sgt. Strong's Dambustin' Dogfaces" are ready to leap into action against a giant Nazi robot, which the various heroes there like "The Battlin' Yank" are also fighting.

Supreme says he's not needed here, so Sgt. Strong directs him to the East treeline, where he'll find what he's looking for.  So Supreme travels through to a post-apocalyptic world.   Supreme asks where he can find the Monarch, one of them tell him he's also the "All-Father, the source of our existence".  He needs to go beyond this world into the realm of the Gods themselves.

Then a being that is a humanoid cricket called "Davey Krikkit" offers his services as a guide to Supreme.  He'll take Supreme to the Sapphre Stairway and the Celesital Palace beyond.  As they travel, Supreme asks how all this could have just come into existance in one day.  Davey just says that's the Regeant "creates a whole...universe before breakfast like it was nothing!"
Supreme asks if the Regeant is one of the Gods they are off to meet, but Davey says he's much more important than that.   After flying up high and observing all the cities, they fly even higher and are confronted by a huge armoured man who wants to know what business they have here.  Davey says he's escorting a outlander who's looking for the monarch.

The armoured man takes them to "the grand trial of the proto-deities.  They will decide your fate, as they decide the fate of all who live." What does he mean by "proto deities" asks Supreme.  They are the basic models, the original essences of Earth's Gods, whether Norse, Greek or Egyptian.  They reach the council and Davey bows and scrapes. Supreme says he's just here because he's curious.

The Gods say that if he wishes to know the ways of things he truly needs to see the Creator.  It asks Supreme to get on his hands and it will deliver him there. Davey says goodbye, and Supreme is lifted up to a tunnel and walks foward to see...

Hail to the King baby!

... Jack Kirby's big giant head.  He tells Supreme to call him "King" and then asks what he wants.  Supreme asks what he is.  Kirby tells him about the world of ideas, and Supreme says he has access to a realm called "idea space" and Kirby says the name should be punchier like "the psychoverse" or the "cognitive zone".  But he calls it home. He used to commute here when he worked everyday.  He farmed ideaspace for produce, "they call us Imagineers".

Back then he was a part-timer in the World of Ideas but now he's a full time resident.  He physically died but that doesn't matter.

Kirby: "It ain't the physical stuff that's important.  It don't last, you know what I'm sayin'?  What's important is the idea of a thing.  See, all we are is ideas."

When Supreme queries thing, Kirby says that the ideas people have about you and the ideas we have about ourselves well what else makes a personal identity.

Supreme asks if being in Ideaspace limits him in any way.  Kirby says that actually he's free and not limited by a body with pens, brushes and hands, "it all slows you down."  Even on a good day he could only manage maybe nine or ten pages.  Subtle jibe at the Image creatives whose worke suffered from hugely slipped scehdules, including this very comic.

Now he is in the world of ideas they can just pour out of his mind.  Supreme asks what he's doing in his world.  Kirby says he spent a lot of time in worlds like his, he likes the excitement, magic and costumes in them.  So he's come on a quick holiday.  Supreme thinks he can do no harm where he is.  Kirby then calls him a "Wylie" and when Supreme doesn't understand, he says that it's after a guy called "Phil Wylie" who wrote a book called "Gladiator" which introduced the whole Superman archetype, which is Supreme.

The mists starts to cover Kirby up as he says he never created a Wylie, although he handled a few.  He starts thinking up an idea that there were two words, one good, one evil.  And then they have a war.  Supreme says that's unlikely in his world.  As the mists finally claim Kirby he says that he'll never know what might yet happen in his world.  Then the whole area disappears leaving Supreme back outside on the edge of the misty valley.

Supreme flies back home and has dinner with Diana while still in Supreme gear and she teases him, saying she's seeing another guy at work, a nerdy guy called Ethan.  She then discusses the comic they have put together with her trip to the Supremancy working well with Omniman.  She thinks this will be a pivotal issue.  She teases him again saying she thinks this Ethan might be gay, because he's not laid a finger on her. Grinning Supreme looks at the comic and she asks if the Supremes of the Supremacy won't mind me basing this issue on them will they?  He says of course not, "I mean how could a comic book affect the Supremacy?"  And he holds her close saying "now about this gay thing..." And that brings this volume to a close.

And we end on a page of shitty Liefeld art.  How appropriate somehow.

There is of course the infamous issue #63. The next script was written but never drawn until a few years ago.  The numbering returned to what it would be if The Return had been numbered normally. This was meant to kick off a new run of Supreme but it stumbled and fell pretty much straight away.  I do own #63 but I am so bored of Supreme and I have quite a lot to say about it that I shall cover it at a later date, probably when I do a round up of some of his one--shots. Anyway with that all done, once again this was a real chore to get through.  The artwork is downright distressing in places and gives the series no real consistent look.  The flashback stuff once again is good stuff by Rick Veitch, but otherwise it's just a mess.  And it also makes me wonder again just who these comics were aimed at.  The younger "90's kids" would probably think the retro bits are stupid and lame, while older readers would be put off by the atrocious Liefeldian art in the rest of the comic.  The epic stretched out release sechdule couldn't have helped and as I said in the intro Moore had moved on leaving Image and Awesome comics, which finally died before Moore's run could conclude, far behind. The tribute to Jack Kirby is touching though, I do like the idea he lives on imagining strange new worlds and populating them with hereoes and villains on a whim.  Some nice Kirbyesque drawing from Veitch as well.  So that was Alan Moore's last published work for Image (apart from #63), work he probably felt he'd left far behind.  Typical of his work for Image, there is always a feeling of barely hidden contempt for the audience in this mainstream stuff, mostly I think born of frustration, that to keep food on the table he had to work in the mainstream again to fund his passion projects From Hell and Lost Girls which struggled to find indie comics that lasted long enough to run the whole storylines. This isn't quite the last of his Image work, there are a couple of minseries I am hunting down on Amazon which will likely appear on here later in the year.  But Supreme is indicative of Moore's attitude, he started strong with The Story Of The Year arc, then didn't quite know what to do next.  So it looked like he was setting up for another "revision" so the next writer could reinvent the character how they wanted. But back then this is all we got.  Mediocre.