What a wonderful cover by Dave Johnson – maybe one day we’ll see a story that goes with it. The nearest we get inside is a trapped Superman, and a bucket of acid aimed at the Prankster.
Read the comic and you’ll find out which Prankster because, as seen last month, Metropolis is now home to both the original longtime irritant of Superman, and his super-cocky, super-powered nephew, who’s taken the now family firm from being all about thievery to a more murderous affair.
Original variety Prankster Oswald Loomis leaves his unnamed nephew for a liaison with the new head of Intergang, Minnie Mannheim, who’s miffed that she’s paid the pair to kill Perry White and they failed due to Superman getting involved.
Later, Clark encounters a car that seems to be an Action Comics #1 tribute act. Given that writer Dan Slott knows his Superman stuff, it likely is.
As for who’s inside the car, well, the circus has come to town, and guest artist Mike Norton has fun with a klatsch of killer clown-bots on a fantastic splash page after Clark slips into Superman mode.
Meanwhile, Superman Jr Jon Kent is in Smallville, where 5th Dimensional Imp Mr Mxyzptlk is warning the Teen of Steel that his greatest-enemy-to-be is coming to get him. Jon doesn’t get why someone as powerful as Mxy would worry.
Slott, Norton, colourist Marcelo Maoiolo and letterer Dave Sharpe really are cooking with gas this issue. The Pranksters’ business is a hoot, Jon’s subplot has me very intrigued, and the tedious World of Green Kryptonite/Gold Superman thread that’s run through this series is nowhere to be seen… well, until page 19.
It’s annoying, but it doesn’t spoil the story. What does, slightly, is a final page which makes it clear the villains – who have been murdering Metropolitans for money – get away, Superman apparently not having bothered to pursue them. Slott gets a good gag out of it, but that’s it for the Pranksters for now, they’re off the hook.
Points, though, for Minnie’s Runyonesque dialogue, a mention of the rarely remembered microscopic and infra-red visions, and Golden Age Prankster’s old school jokes – Loomis is far more interesting than his nephew. Which isn’t to say Prankster Jr is value-free, there’s some quality scheming going on. And British readers of a certain age will enjoy a kinda sorta cameo by a gentleman named Nick O’Teen.
This is a fun issue, Slott and Norton make a great team and I’d like to see them collaborate here again… preferably with another Pranksters tale that ends up with the checkered chumps in the slammer.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
I agree with your sentiments about the gold Superman/Kryptonite everywhere thing — I’d rather do without all of it. And same for the Smallville “chaos nexus” idea — bleargh. But the one thing of interest in the Gold Superman situation — that Clark is un-super for 24 hours after he uses his powers — is completely ignored here. At the end of issue 9, I thought we’d be seeing a de-powered Superman versus the Pranksters. But instead, we just go forward a few days.
And how many days have we been without a Superman because of these powers, anyway? Surely someone would have noticed. Hopefully after Reign of the Superboys ends and Clark returns, he’ll have his normal powerset restored.
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Good spot! If memory serves, editor Paul Kaminski told Anthony Desiato on his excellent Digging For Kryptonite podcast that the gold bit was his idea, so maybe Dan Slott isn’t all that into it.
Apologies all round if I got this wrong.
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