Superman #177
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSuperman (Vol. 2) #177 is the first appearance of Hiro Okamura, the third character to take the Toyman name in DC continuity — a teenage mechanical genius from Japan whose anime- and manga-inspired giant-robot aesthetic marked a sharp cultural departure from the original Winslow Schott incarnation of the villain. Okamura would go on to become a recurring ally to both Superman and Batman, most memorably building the giant Composite Batman-Superman robot central to the 'Public Enemies' arc in Superman/Batman. The issue also signals the creative ambition of the Loeb/McGuinness era's final stretch, blending globe-trotting humanitarian vignettes with kinetic kaiju-scale brawls in a single done-in-one package that reads as an affectionate love letter to Super Robot anime of the Mazinger Z generation.
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The issue was written by Jeph Loeb and penciled primarily by Ed McGuinness, with Kevin Maguire contributing additional pencil art; inks were by Cam Smith. It carries a cover date of February 2002 and was published on December 5, 2001, falling within DC's 'Full Coverage Month,' a line-wide promotional initiative in which every DC cover that month was themed around the DC logo. Loeb had taken over the Superman title in 1999, replacing longtime writer Dan Jurgens, and #177 appears near the tail end of his celebrated run, which concluded with issue #183 in August 2002.
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- First appearance of Hiro Okamura (Toyman / later Toymaster), a 13-year-old Japanese mechanical genius who becomes a recurring ally of Superman and Batman — created by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness.
- Written by Jeph Loeb; pencils by Ed McGuinness (primary) and Kevin Maguire (additional); inks by Cam Smith.
- Cover date: February 2002; on-sale date: December 5, 2001 (Superman Vol. 2 #177 in the 1987-series numbering).
- Part of DC's 'Full Coverage Month,' a promotional initiative in which the DC logo was the unifying design element across all DC covers that month.
- The issue's story is titled 'Metropolis E-Mailbag' and uses the framing device of Superman answering fan emails to weave together the Hiro Okamura/Metallo battle with a series of humanitarian vignettes set around Christmas.
- The issue is explicitly designed as a homage to Japanese super-robot anime — including properties like Mazinger Z and Pokémon — with Okamura's fleet of miniature Superman-shaped robots and his piloted giant mecha driving the action.
- Supporting characters appearing in this issue include Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Emil Hamilton, Steel, Martha Kent, Jonathan Kent, Lois Lane, and Metallo.
- Hiro Okamura subsequently became a significant supporting character in the Superman/Batman series, where he aided the heroes in destroying a Kryptonite asteroid by constructing a giant Composite Batman-Superman robot.
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Reprinted in Superman: Cover to Cover #[nn] (2006), DC Comics Presents: Superman #3 (2011)
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