Hostile Takeover Conclusion

Hostile Takeover takes over more of the books this month, so much so that Superman appears on just 6 pages out of both issues.

Superman #31

The scene on the cover does not appear inside, and for that matter, neither does Superman.  Mr. Myxyzptlk comes back to Metropolis to challenge Superman, but of course the Man of Steel is nowhere to be found.  Taking over as the city's protector, Lex Luthor deploys his new Lexcorp-armored Team Luthor to fight the 5th dimensional menace, but they're severely injured in the battle.  Luthor learns that in all his encounters with Superman, Myxyzptlk has been naively honest to a fault, possibly that he may not even know how to lie.  Luthor challenges Myxyzptlk and defeats him simply by being dishonest.  Lex's assistant fearfully ponders what happens if Myxyzptlk returns now having been taught how to lie.

Hostile Takeover part 3

Morgan Edge starts buying up shares in S.T.A.R. Labs after Luthor's rumored acquisition starts to drive up the price.  Edge stands to make a fortune selling them to Luthor, but it may be out of Luthor's price range now.

Adventures of Superman #454

Superman regains consciousness to find himself in a cell surrounded by other prisoners on the strange spacecraft that picked him up last issue.  The ship arrives at its destination where we get our first glimpse of Warworld and its ruler, Mongul.  Mongul appeared several times before the Crisis (most notably in the Alan Moore story "For the Man Who Has Everything"), but this is his first post-Crisis appearance.

Back on Earth, Amanda McCoy decides to let the police know that the man murdered in Clark Kent's apartment was not Mr. Kent.  Morgan Edge wants Cat Grant to try to find out who Clark's source is for the Intergang story that's getting too close to exposing him.  Disguised as Clark, Matrix goes to Metropolis and meets "Superman's pal" Bibbo, who's now becoming more of a comic relief figure than a mob informant.

Hostile Takeover part 4

After some illegal market manipulation, Lex Luthor drops his offer for S.T.A.R. Labs, the stock falls and Morgan Edge loses millions.  With the company now valued at less than it started, Lex is able to buy the one facility he was after all along, so now he can start experimenting on Braniac.