Wow
I'm really just going to comment on the first story featuring Superman. Maybe later I'll come back and revamp this to even out my praise but for now what I have to say..well, just has to be said.
Paul Chadwick has spun a story that made me cry. Here's how it happened, though I hope you might cross paths with a copy to enjoy yourselves...
Ex-Machina starts and end in the same exact geographic spot. A car is broken down in a blizzard on a narrow highway. The occupant has been trying to wave down cars for hours and is quite literally freezing. The older gentleman, distraught and in pain, removes a revolver he had in his glove box and begins to write a note. "I'm sorry but no one will stop and I just can't stand the cold" is what he writes. After he places it with his identification on the dash he points the gun to himself just as a knock comes to his window. You can imagine the mans surprise and delight to see not just any Samaritan but the most Good one that has ever graced this earth. Superman requests entry and from then until the end of the story uses only his words to convince the man that though times are rough, there are still reasons to yet live.
Chadwick writes Superman perfectly. Though there was a thousand different ways to go about the situation, he had him mainly utilize his humanity and compassion to 'save the day.' It's funny because Superman did use his powers a couple of times but everything superhuman that he did is easily interchangeable with a normal good Samaritan. When he first got in the car he used his heat vision to warm up the man. A regular helping hand could have just went and retrieved a blanket or extra jacket from his car. Superman used his X-ray vision to diagnose the problem which he ended up solving by manually generating the cars battery to full charge. A fellow motorist might have just used their jumper cables to get the car going again. And lastly, though again it's not a superhuman ability, the regular person could have aided just as well by providing insight and understanding to help alleviate the direness of the situation, play devils advocate to all of the mans worries and concerns, and be what Superman is and will always be at his best...an example for our human nature to aspire to elevate to.
