Bizarro's World
Bizarro returns for the first time since the original Man of Steel miniseries. This time we get to see a post-Crisis re-imagining of Bizarro World in a story aptly named "Bizarro's World." Bizarro wouldn't be seen again in the 90's, although the concept of the polar opposite Bizarro World would be used as a plot on an episode of Seinfeld.
The clones in the Underworld are dying by some mysterious illness and they suspect CADMUS is using germ warfare against them. Some of the Underworlders decide to plan an attack on CADMUS while a smaller group abducts Director Westfield before the others can get to him, hoping to use him as leverage for a peaceful resolution. The other Underworlders, however, launch terrorist attacks against Metropolis to keep Superman distracted while they attack CADMUS. There's a deadly confrontation below ground where Charlie, the homeless man Lois had befriended months ago, sacrifices his own life to take a bullet intended for Westfield. Both sides stand down, Westfield insists he wasn't behind the flooding of the Underworld or the current plague, and Superman promises to find a cure.
Still troubled by his hair loss, Lex Luthor II gets news that the Underworld clones are dying and realizes he must be suffering from the same illness.
Bizarro's World! part 1
On her show Hollywood Tonight, Cat Grant reports the latest rumor that Lex Luthor II appears to be dying of a mysterious illness. Lex decides to revisit his old experiments in cloning to find a way to save himself, and he creates another clone in the same machine that resulted in Bizarro back in Man of Steel #5. Just like the last time, a fully clothed Superman emerges from the chamber, but rapidly deteriorates into a monster. This Bizarro blasts Luthor's longtime assistant Happersen in the face with heat vision and escapes.
Superman responds to an emergency in Hob's Bay where a Navy vessel has been sunk. The sailors report that they saw Superman himself sink the ship, the S.S. Lois. Superman flies back to Lois Lane's apartment, but discovers she's been abducted and the neighbors claimed to have witnessed Superman do it.
Guest artist Stuart Immonen makes his Superman debut in this issue and the next. Immonen would become a regular artist in the 90's, starting a long run from 1995-2000 in Adventures of Superman and then continuing in Action Comics. He would often be my personal favorite artist during much of this period.
Bizarro's World! part 2
Bizarro takes Lois to a warehouse hideout where he's constructed his own Bizarro World with junk and mannequins. The last post-Crisis Bizarro was a silent, almost mindless monster, but this one is a little articulate, speaking with incorrect verb conjugations but not in complete opposites like the pre-Crisis version. Lois tries to play along with her captor's delusions while she tries to escape. Superman tries to search the city for Lois, but his sensory powers have increased so much now that he can't single her out of all the noise in the city. Lois tells Bizarro she has to use the ladies room and instructs him not to watch her with his x-ray vision, then she climbs up Bizarro's "Daylee Plandit" building and escapes through the skylight. She knocks the structure down on her way out, and comments that she's surprised Bizarro didn't put a cube at the top of his Daily Planet instead of a globe. This was a nod to the pre-Crisis Bizarro World, which was an actual cubic planet in space.
At CADMUS, scientists try to find what could be killing the Newsboy Legion clones and the Guardian wonders why he seems to be the only clone unaffected. Lex Luthor secretly summons Packard to ask about the clone plague and Packard wonders how Luthor could know these things unless he was a clone himself. Luthor steps out of the shadows to show him his deteriorating condition.
At GBS Cat Grant has had enough of Vinnie Edge's sexual harassment, and that night she goes off script on live television and reports it to her audience.
This month's cover is an homage to Superman: The Man of Steel #25, which was only 6 months ago.
Bizarro's World! part 3
Superman breaks into Lex Luthor's penthouse to try to get some answers about Bizarro. He's so enraged that he doesn't notice how sick Lex is until his "mother" Dr. Kelley intervenes. Luthor gives Superman a mostly truthful confession about creating Bizarro, believing that getting the creature back is his best hope of curing his sickness.
Bizarro has left Metropolis and is causing chaos in Midway City. In his typical backwards fashion, he seals a draw bridge shut. Afer a brief fight, Superman hurls Bizarro into orbit to get him away from Earth while he keeps a damaged building from collapsing. Superman flies into space to find Bizarro, but follows his heat trail to Smallville!
Pete Ross and Lana Lang have just moved back to Smallville, although they still haven't set a date for their wedding yet. Bizarro kidnaps Lana and Superman knocks him into some state resembling unconsciousness. Lana talks with Clark and realizes she could never have had a normal life with him. After he flies away, she immediately calls Pete on her car phone and tells him she wants to get married as soon as possible.
Superman: The Man of Steel #31
Still troubled by his hair loss, Lex Luthor II gets news that the Underworld clones are dying and realizes he must be suffering from the same illness.
Superman #87
On her show Hollywood Tonight, Cat Grant reports the latest rumor that Lex Luthor II appears to be dying of a mysterious illness. Lex decides to revisit his old experiments in cloning to find a way to save himself, and he creates another clone in the same machine that resulted in Bizarro back in Man of Steel #5. Just like the last time, a fully clothed Superman emerges from the chamber, but rapidly deteriorates into a monster. This Bizarro blasts Luthor's longtime assistant Happersen in the face with heat vision and escapes.
Superman responds to an emergency in Hob's Bay where a Navy vessel has been sunk. The sailors report that they saw Superman himself sink the ship, the S.S. Lois. Superman flies back to Lois Lane's apartment, but discovers she's been abducted and the neighbors claimed to have witnessed Superman do it.
Guest artist Stuart Immonen makes his Superman debut in this issue and the next. Immonen would become a regular artist in the 90's, starting a long run from 1995-2000 in Adventures of Superman and then continuing in Action Comics. He would often be my personal favorite artist during much of this period.
Adventures of Superman #510
Bizarro takes Lois to a warehouse hideout where he's constructed his own Bizarro World with junk and mannequins. The last post-Crisis Bizarro was a silent, almost mindless monster, but this one is a little articulate, speaking with incorrect verb conjugations but not in complete opposites like the pre-Crisis version. Lois tries to play along with her captor's delusions while she tries to escape. Superman tries to search the city for Lois, but his sensory powers have increased so much now that he can't single her out of all the noise in the city. Lois tells Bizarro she has to use the ladies room and instructs him not to watch her with his x-ray vision, then she climbs up Bizarro's "Daylee Plandit" building and escapes through the skylight. She knocks the structure down on her way out, and comments that she's surprised Bizarro didn't put a cube at the top of his Daily Planet instead of a globe. This was a nod to the pre-Crisis Bizarro World, which was an actual cubic planet in space.
At CADMUS, scientists try to find what could be killing the Newsboy Legion clones and the Guardian wonders why he seems to be the only clone unaffected. Lex Luthor secretly summons Packard to ask about the clone plague and Packard wonders how Luthor could know these things unless he was a clone himself. Luthor steps out of the shadows to show him his deteriorating condition.
At GBS Cat Grant has had enough of Vinnie Edge's sexual harassment, and that night she goes off script on live television and reports it to her audience.
This month's cover is an homage to Superman: The Man of Steel #25, which was only 6 months ago.
Action Comics #697
Superman breaks into Lex Luthor's penthouse to try to get some answers about Bizarro. He's so enraged that he doesn't notice how sick Lex is until his "mother" Dr. Kelley intervenes. Luthor gives Superman a mostly truthful confession about creating Bizarro, believing that getting the creature back is his best hope of curing his sickness.
Bizarro has left Metropolis and is causing chaos in Midway City. In his typical backwards fashion, he seals a draw bridge shut. Afer a brief fight, Superman hurls Bizarro into orbit to get him away from Earth while he keeps a damaged building from collapsing. Superman flies into space to find Bizarro, but follows his heat trail to Smallville!
Pete Ross and Lana Lang have just moved back to Smallville, although they still haven't set a date for their wedding yet. Bizarro kidnaps Lana and Superman knocks him into some state resembling unconsciousness. Lana talks with Clark and realizes she could never have had a normal life with him. After he flies away, she immediately calls Pete on her car phone and tells him she wants to get married as soon as possible.
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