Back in Action
Superman comes back to Earth and goes back in action, literally, as he returns to Action Comics this month. Superman has been been missing from Earth for over 6 months and from Action Comics for over a year (although for some reason there have only been 42 issues of Action Comics Weekly in that period).
The elders of Warworld install Draaga as a figurehead ruler and take Warworld away for an inspection tour of their empire. Left behind on the Cleric's asteroid prison, the Cellkeeper uses yellow sunlight and reflectors to restore Superman to full power. Using the Eradicator, the Cleric and Superman journey in flashbacks through Superman's regrets, Clark imagines meeting Jonathan Kent in World War II, and finally confronts the demons haunting him from executing Zod and the Phantom Zone criminals. The Cleric helps Superman cope with his self-doubt and advises him not to run from his problems the way he had. Superman finally accepts the Eradicator from the Cleric, but as soon as the Cleric removes his hands from the artifact he ages and starts to die, which explains what had been keeping him alive for 200,000 years since he left Krypton. The Cleric's dying request is, strangely, for Superman to shave off his beard, reflecting his heat vision on the surface of the Eradicator. Superman buries the Cleric and vows over his grave to champion life over death for the rest of his days.
Back on Earth we get a couple pages of the Kents worrying about Matrix in Metropolis, and Matrix impersonating Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. The writers keep the plates spinning, but these plot threads don't really move forward.
With Warwold and the Cleric gone, Superman finds himself stranded in space now. But then he has a revelation like Dorothy at the end of the Wizard of Oz, the Eradicator could have taken him home all along. He holds the Kryptonian artifact and concentrates on home, then vanishes.
The rest of the issue focuses on the world without a Superman back on Earth. Morgan Edge's doctor is concerned about his health, but Edge decides his crumbling criminal empire is more important right now. He communicates with Darkseid through a video call and they decide to put a hit on the Daily Planet journalists who are getting too close to them with the Intergang story. A Boom Tube opens up in Metropolis and an Apokoliptian robot named Turmoil finds Matrix disguised as Clark Kent in the park. Thinking it killed Clark, Turmoil moves on to its next target and searches for Lois Lane. Jose Delgado tries to save Lois as Gangbuster, now using Lex Luthor's armor, but he ends up crushed beneath a building. Luthor watches the dire situation form the safety of Lexcorp, but then he gets word from an aide that Braniac has regained consciousness and keeps repeating "He's back! Superman's back!"
Superman returns to Earth and lands atop the Daily Planet where he's greeted by Perry White and Jimmy Olsen. After Superman flies off, Cat Grant and Matrix arrive to let Perry know that a robot is trying to kill them. Matrix is still acting strange as Clark Kent, so Perry White orders him to go home and take a few days off. Superman has time to go home and shower, and Jimmy Olsen summons him back just in time to save Lois Lane from Turmoil. Defeated, the robot is programmed to self-destruct, but Superman covers the blast with his cape. It is explained that his new cape created by the Eradicator can now withstand just about anything, bringing back his costume's indestructibility that hadn't been seen since the pre-Crisis era. Superman boldly breaks into Morgan Edge's office and starts to interrogate him, but Edge suddenly has an unfortunate heart attack. Morgan Edge is taken to the hospital, where Jose Delgado is already recovering. Superman wonders how Morgan Edge acquired such dangerous technology, and back on Apokolips we see that Darkseid's minion Desaad has really been impersonating Darkseid all along. Clark Kent returns to his apartment but is shocked to find Matrix already there in his form, passed out holding the Eradicator.
Superman #33
Back on Earth we get a couple pages of the Kents worrying about Matrix in Metropolis, and Matrix impersonating Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. The writers keep the plates spinning, but these plot threads don't really move forward.
Adventures of Superman #456
The rest of the issue focuses on the world without a Superman back on Earth. Morgan Edge's doctor is concerned about his health, but Edge decides his crumbling criminal empire is more important right now. He communicates with Darkseid through a video call and they decide to put a hit on the Daily Planet journalists who are getting too close to them with the Intergang story. A Boom Tube opens up in Metropolis and an Apokoliptian robot named Turmoil finds Matrix disguised as Clark Kent in the park. Thinking it killed Clark, Turmoil moves on to its next target and searches for Lois Lane. Jose Delgado tries to save Lois as Gangbuster, now using Lex Luthor's armor, but he ends up crushed beneath a building. Luthor watches the dire situation form the safety of Lexcorp, but then he gets word from an aide that Braniac has regained consciousness and keeps repeating "He's back! Superman's back!"
Action Comics #643
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