No, it's not an April Fools' prank...
The post-Crisis reboot was presumably supposed to eliminate some of the
sillier, more whimsical characters and concepts from Superman
continuity that didn't work in the modern age. And yet, the next couple issues of Superman would attempt to re-introduce some of these characters into modern comics.
No, it's not an April Fools' prank, Mr. Mxyzptlk really is back. Mr. Mxyzptlk is an all-powerful 5th dimensional imp who first appeared back in the 1940's and returns periodically (the rule is 90 days) to pester the Man of Steel. Most of his stories are the same formula: Superman just has to trick the imp into saying or spelling his name backwards and he'll be sent back to his home, magically un-doing any damage his powers caused while he was here.
A strange visitor named Ben Deroy shows up at the Daily Planet, asks Lois on a date and sweeps her off her feet. Unnoticed by Lois, strange things happen all around as the couple passes through the city, like a child's toy gorilla coming to life. Superman shows up and Mxyzptlk reveals his true form. After challenging Superman to get him to say his name backwards, Superman eventually tricks him into typing it on a giant typewriter which he re-configured to type "Klptzyxm" instead. As in every Mxyzptlk story, the trickster leaves and everything goes back to normal. Lois Lane goes to Clark's apartment to apologize for snubbing him earlier by cooking dinner, but finds Cat Grant already there. Awkward.
It seems every attempt to modernize Mxyzptlk tries to depict him as a normal human, like they did more recently in the Supergirl TV series. This time, Superman apparently consulted theoretical physicists who predict another interface with the 5th dimension in 90 days. It's a characteristic of the post-Crisis era to try to offer pseudo-scientific explanations, but they're really stretching it here. Fans either love or hate Mxyzptlk, and those who like the character never needed any such explanation.
Jose Delgado becomes the newest vigilante in Metropolis, Gangbuster. Jose doesn't have Superman's powers or Batman's wealth, so he resorts to less reputable tactics, like stealing an ID from a Lexcorp night watchman and destroying one of Luthor's facilities. Superman and Gangbuster stop the gang war from escalating and succeed in getting charges pressed against the mob boss Jay Falk while Luthor evades any criminal implication. But at least Superman gets Jimmy Olsen to hack Luthor's network and send him a message that he knows Luthor was behind it all. Elsewhere, Perry White bails his son Jerry out of jail and decides to take his son on a family trip far away from Metropolis.
Superman meets Booster Gold again for the first time. This issue references that the two previously met in Booster Gold #7 (which this cover is an homage to), but that was technically pre-Crisis Superman. Oh, well, the series is making more of an effort at continuity, so I can overlook this minor detail.
Superman goes to Gotham City to see if Batman can solve the mystery of the mysterious scrapbook that was sent to Clark Kent. Meanwhile in Metropolis, Booster Gold is creating an anti-Superman campaign, accusing him of "crimes against humanity" for his intervention in Qurac (Adventures of Superman #427). Booster Gold starts a physical fight with Superman, and then another Booster Gold shows up on the last page to stop them.
Superman and the real Booster Gold fight the doppleganger, discovering that it's actually a robot. Not holding back now, they destroy it, but discover its power source to be a piece of Kryptonite. Suspecting Lex Luthor is the only man capable of such a plot, Booster crashes a party to confront Luthor in person. Meanwhile at Booster's mansion across the bay, all of Booster Gold's businesses, accounts, and assets are depleted by a hacker (because of course, you have to break into somebody's house to hack their computer). But that's a story that will continue in the remaining issues of Booster's series.
Superman #11
A strange visitor named Ben Deroy shows up at the Daily Planet, asks Lois on a date and sweeps her off her feet. Unnoticed by Lois, strange things happen all around as the couple passes through the city, like a child's toy gorilla coming to life. Superman shows up and Mxyzptlk reveals his true form. After challenging Superman to get him to say his name backwards, Superman eventually tricks him into typing it on a giant typewriter which he re-configured to type "Klptzyxm" instead. As in every Mxyzptlk story, the trickster leaves and everything goes back to normal. Lois Lane goes to Clark's apartment to apologize for snubbing him earlier by cooking dinner, but finds Cat Grant already there. Awkward.
It seems every attempt to modernize Mxyzptlk tries to depict him as a normal human, like they did more recently in the Supergirl TV series. This time, Superman apparently consulted theoretical physicists who predict another interface with the 5th dimension in 90 days. It's a characteristic of the post-Crisis era to try to offer pseudo-scientific explanations, but they're really stretching it here. Fans either love or hate Mxyzptlk, and those who like the character never needed any such explanation.
Adventures of Superman #434
Action Comics #594
Superman meets Booster Gold again for the first time. This issue references that the two previously met in Booster Gold #7 (which this cover is an homage to), but that was technically pre-Crisis Superman. Oh, well, the series is making more of an effort at continuity, so I can overlook this minor detail.Superman goes to Gotham City to see if Batman can solve the mystery of the mysterious scrapbook that was sent to Clark Kent. Meanwhile in Metropolis, Booster Gold is creating an anti-Superman campaign, accusing him of "crimes against humanity" for his intervention in Qurac (Adventures of Superman #427). Booster Gold starts a physical fight with Superman, and then another Booster Gold shows up on the last page to stop them.
Booster Gold #23
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