End of the 3rd Year
Post-Crisis Superman wraps up its third year, and most of the story lines from the first three years seem to have resolved. Superman has made his peace with killing the Phantom Zone criminals and Matrix has disappeared, but new characters and new challenges are developing.
Like on the cover, every page of this issue is split in half to tell two stories. At the top of the page, Lex Luthor's loyal scientist Dr. Kelley struggles to maintain the balance of keeping Braniac both alive and sufficiently sedated. The comatose Braniac, meanwhile, has a dream of defeating both Luthor and Superman (his only appearance in this issue). Interestingly, Luthor initially appears to him in the form of Braniac's famous skull ship, unseen since Crisis on Infinite Earths but which will return for real soon. Unbeknownst to the scientists, Braniac manages to free himself in astral form, a story which will continue in a few months.
At the bottom of the page, Morgan Edge lies unconscious in his hospital bed and has dreams of his own. Edge dreams that he confronts his master Darkseid, who reveals that he was really Desaad impersonating Darkseid all along (don't think about how it doesn't make sense for Edge to know something in a dream that he doesn't know in real life). Meanwhile, an Intergang assassin posing as a doctor plans to make sure Edge never regains consciousness to testify against them. Jack Kirby's Fourth World avatar of death, the Black Racer, is drawn to a death about to happen the hospital room, but instead of Morgan Edge he takes the assassin.
It's the 80's, so the Daily Planet staff takes a work-mandated aerobics class together (including Lois Lane, still with a broken arm). Jimmy Olsen tries to impress Cat Grant, who he seems to think is on the rebound from her fake relationship with Morgan Edge, but he exerts himself too hard in the class and inexplicably starts to stretch his body uncontrollably. Superman eventually figures out how to contain Jimmy in his cape and takes him to Professor Hamilton at S.T.A.R. Labs to find out where these strange powers came from. Professor Hamilton concludes Jimmy contracted a DNA-altering virus, which Superman may have brought back with him from his exile in space.
The story is an attempt to update a silly Silver Age concept where Jimmy gained powers and called himself Elastic Lad. Jimmy's spandex workout clothes becomes the same superhero costume, minus the "Elastic Lad" written on the chest. The aerobics class, however, makes this attempt at modernization even sillier than the original story.
Superman flies to Phoenix, AZ, to answer a call from the latest hero to be called Starman (number 6?), Will Payton, and Kitty Faulkner (aka Rampage). This is Superman's first post-Crisis encounter with the Parasite, who was re-introduced in the previous issue of Starman. However, this is Starman's book so Starman saves the day after the Parasite drains half of Superman's power.
The story was apparently originally intended to be a full crossover with the Superman titles, but it ultimately didn't work out that way aside from a couple cameos in Action Comics. The books will eventually intersect properly over a year later in Starman #28, for Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite.
In the rest of the issue, a new villain named Maxima comes to Earth to test if Superman is worthy to be her mate. It turns out it's not even really her and we would meet the real Maxima another time. Her introduction is rather shallow and groan-inducing, but future writers would improve her. Slightly.
Superman #35
At the bottom of the page, Morgan Edge lies unconscious in his hospital bed and has dreams of his own. Edge dreams that he confronts his master Darkseid, who reveals that he was really Desaad impersonating Darkseid all along (don't think about how it doesn't make sense for Edge to know something in a dream that he doesn't know in real life). Meanwhile, an Intergang assassin posing as a doctor plans to make sure Edge never regains consciousness to testify against them. Jack Kirby's Fourth World avatar of death, the Black Racer, is drawn to a death about to happen the hospital room, but instead of Morgan Edge he takes the assassin.
Adventures of Superman #458
The story is an attempt to update a silly Silver Age concept where Jimmy gained powers and called himself Elastic Lad. Jimmy's spandex workout clothes becomes the same superhero costume, minus the "Elastic Lad" written on the chest. The aerobics class, however, makes this attempt at modernization even sillier than the original story.
Starman #14
The story was apparently originally intended to be a full crossover with the Superman titles, but it ultimately didn't work out that way aside from a couple cameos in Action Comics. The books will eventually intersect properly over a year later in Starman #28, for Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite.
Action Comics #646
Starman uses his solar powers to help Superman recover from losing half his powers to the Parasite. On his way back to Metropolis, Superman stops in Kansas to visit Lana Lang, still recovering in the hospital. After he leaves, Lana selfishly wishes Clark's powers had never developed and he could have stayed with her in Smallville. Back in Metropolis, Superman checks in on Jimmy Olsen, who's still resting at S.T.A.R. Labs. The events in Superman's life are taking a visible toll on his friends that carries over from month to month.
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