Curt Swan Month
Legendary Superman artist Curt Swan draws all all 3 Superman books this month. Technically there are 5 weeks to this Curt Swan Month, but weeks 1 and 5 were issues of Superboy, the comic book adaptation of the badly timed TV series. Since post-Crisis Superman was never Superboy, those issues won't be covered here.
Curt Swan Month: Week Two!
Part one of our story opens in Little Qurac, a neighborhood in Metropolis of Quraci refugees. The fictional nation of Qurac stands in for both Iraq and Iran, and like Iran many Qracis fled their country after a Shah was overthrown and a new dictator (the Colonel) took over. We learn that a Quraci teenager named Davood gained limited levitation powers in the aftermath of the Invasion event. However, he goes to visit his sister who is working late at Lexcorp, and the facility is attacked by arms smugglers who are trying to steal a mysterious belt brought in by a dying man. Davood puts on the belt and discovers that it amplifies his powers, allowing him to fly and generate a force field capable of hurting Superman. Meanwhile at Lexcorp, Luthor acknowledges to himself that he's dying from the Kryptonite poisoning that took his hand. He vows that he won't die the second most powerful man on Earth and that Superman must die first.
Although his condition is rapidly deteriorating, Luthor is obsessed with retrieving the stolen belt. Knowing it's not really theirs, Davood's sister brings the belt in to Luthor, but after handing a belt over Luthor orders his staff to dispose of the brother and sister. Davood breaks through the wall wearing the real belt and saves her. But now that Luthor knows who they are, he decides he can use their Quraci heritage against them. He reports the theft to the police, and accusing Davood of being a super villain who calls himself Sinbad, he creates a fake team of terrorists to take the blame and stir up anti-Arab sentiment. Superman tracks down Davood to Little Qurac, but the Quraci people still hold a grudge against Superman for attacking their country back in Adventures of Superman #427. He flies into an alley and changes into Clark Kent, but the mob isn't any happier to see a reporter either. Finally, Luthor has a rendezvous with the arms smugglers and they decide to team up to destroy Superman.
Curt Swan Month: Week Four!
Clark Kent doesn't want to fight the mob but also doesn't want to compromise his secret identity. Fortunately, Davood's father intervenes and the crowd disperses. Some men in uniform come to take Davood's family into custody, but they refuse to identify themselves and Clark suspects they're not really the authorities. Clark pretends to take them out with judo and advises the family to hide with friends. "Sinbad" and his sister stop Luthor's team of fake terrorists, but Luthor tips the police and watches from the safety of his limo as they shoot at Davood on a rooftop. Superman pulls Davood and his sister to safety, but then the arms smugglers are going to detonate an alien spaceship (also left over from the Invasion) over the entire city. Superman tries to push it away but can't move it fast enough, so Davood uses his force field to shield the whole city, but burns out the belt in the process and thus losing most of his powers.
Untouched by the scandal, Lex Luthor makes his executive secretary take the fall for the whole scheme, then he even goes so far as to give an interview on television criticizing the city for succumbing to the anti-Quraci prejudices that he had secretly encouraged. This is post-Crisis Lex Luthor at his best: doing evil while convincing the world he's doing good.
Sinbad would be seen again for the last time in the Legacy of Superman, a one-shot to be published in the hiatus after Superman's death. Curt Swan would return for another month-long story in 1996, also the year of his death.
Superman #48
Part one of our story opens in Little Qurac, a neighborhood in Metropolis of Quraci refugees. The fictional nation of Qurac stands in for both Iraq and Iran, and like Iran many Qracis fled their country after a Shah was overthrown and a new dictator (the Colonel) took over. We learn that a Quraci teenager named Davood gained limited levitation powers in the aftermath of the Invasion event. However, he goes to visit his sister who is working late at Lexcorp, and the facility is attacked by arms smugglers who are trying to steal a mysterious belt brought in by a dying man. Davood puts on the belt and discovers that it amplifies his powers, allowing him to fly and generate a force field capable of hurting Superman. Meanwhile at Lexcorp, Luthor acknowledges to himself that he's dying from the Kryptonite poisoning that took his hand. He vows that he won't die the second most powerful man on Earth and that Superman must die first.
Superman #471
Curt Swan Month: Week Three!
Action Comics #658
Clark Kent doesn't want to fight the mob but also doesn't want to compromise his secret identity. Fortunately, Davood's father intervenes and the crowd disperses. Some men in uniform come to take Davood's family into custody, but they refuse to identify themselves and Clark suspects they're not really the authorities. Clark pretends to take them out with judo and advises the family to hide with friends. "Sinbad" and his sister stop Luthor's team of fake terrorists, but Luthor tips the police and watches from the safety of his limo as they shoot at Davood on a rooftop. Superman pulls Davood and his sister to safety, but then the arms smugglers are going to detonate an alien spaceship (also left over from the Invasion) over the entire city. Superman tries to push it away but can't move it fast enough, so Davood uses his force field to shield the whole city, but burns out the belt in the process and thus losing most of his powers.
Untouched by the scandal, Lex Luthor makes his executive secretary take the fall for the whole scheme, then he even goes so far as to give an interview on television criticizing the city for succumbing to the anti-Quraci prejudices that he had secretly encouraged. This is post-Crisis Lex Luthor at his best: doing evil while convincing the world he's doing good.
Sinbad would be seen again for the last time in the Legacy of Superman, a one-shot to be published in the hiatus after Superman's death. Curt Swan would return for another month-long story in 1996, also the year of his death.
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