Lobo Strikes Again

Lobo heard the Man of Steel didn't stay dead so he comes back to Earth for a rematch.  Some people seem to think Superman spent the whole 90's fighting Lobo and Doomsday.  Ok, after this month you might be inclined to think so too.  But aside from another encounter in L.E.G.I.O.N. '94 #63 this same month, that seems to be the extent of the Main Man's feud with the Man of Steel.

Lobo's appearance has changed a lot since their last fight in the Day of the Krypton Man.  There's really no in-story reason for this change, Lobo was merely a product of the more "extreme" art styles that were prevalent in the 90's.  Originally a skinnier Wolverine knock-off, Lobo now has a larger, hulking body with veins popping out of every muscle.  This depiction would become Lobo's definitive look, DC's attempts to update the character have never really caught on and so Lobo has been locked in the 90's ever since.

Superman: The Man of Steel #30

Lobo arrives in Metropolis causing mayhem to attract Superman's attention.  Their fight is interrupted by a spaceship that tries to destroy both of them with a disintegration beam just to get revenge on Lobo for demolishing a planet that was in his way.  Superman takes the fight into space to try to get Lobo and the aliens away from Earth.  Superman starts to notice that his powers appear to have increased, and he can now survive in space with just a breath of oxygen.

At LexCorp tower, Lex Luthor II is distressed to notice that the hair on his cloned body is starting to recede.

This issue has a one-of-a-kind "do it yourself" variant cover.  The book was polybagged with a sheet of removable vinyl clings of Superman and Lobo which the reader could position on its wraparound cover.  At the time, of course, everyone knew never to open a bagged comic or it would lose its value, so most people really had no use for this collector's edition.  Today, this book hasn't really increased in value so you might as well open it and enjoy it.

Superman #86

After the fight with Lobo, Superman finds himself lost in space.  He stumbles upon a conflict between two space ships with conflicting stories.  One says the others are pirates trying to steal their priceless artifacts on board, the other, named Rik Sunn, accuses his enemy of being a conqueror responsible for millions of deaths.  In the end, Rik Sunn kills his opponent and detonates a bomb that destroys himself too.

Rik Sunn was the leader character in a pre-Crisis series called The Sun Devils co-created by Dan Jurgens.  Although that book wasn't technically in DC continuity, Rik crosses over here but has never been seen again since.

Adventures of Superman #509

Still lost in deep space, Superman finds the Guardian clone named Auron (introduced in The Legacy of Superman #1) battling a brutal new villain named Massacre.  Like a lot of the new villains introduced recently, no origin or backstory whatsoever is provided for Massacre at this time.  Massacre kills Auron and vows they will fight again on Superman's native habitat, Earth.  Though Superman says Auron deserves a monument, he doesn't have the materials or the time as he needs to find a way back to Earth before Massacre gets there.  Later, Auron's shield and the disc that contained Superman's genetic code are traded for drinks at a dive bar in space.

On Earth, Lois Lane investigates the disappearance of Lex Luthor II's trainer, Sasha.  Sneaking into LexCorp, she finds Sasha's belongings forgotten in a gym locker.  Sasha's coworkers seem to have been told that she had moved to Coast City before it was destroyed.

Action Comics #696

The last time Superman wandered in space (in the Odyssey story) he had to take a breathing device with him, but this time he's amazed that he hasn't had to breathe oxygen in days.  He wonders if he needs to breathe at all anymore, like the pre-Crisis version.

Superman finds himself on a planet called Outpost that was nearly destroyed by war.  Its cities sit preserved in amber while its survivors sleep in suspended animation until the planet is inhabitable again.  Believing Superman to be a hostile invader, the planet's Champion attacks the Man of Steel.  Outpost's artificial intelligence stops Champion and helps Superman find a wormhole that will take him back to Earth.  As the Man of Steel departs through the wormhole, an asteroid enters the galaxy he just left--the asteroid that the Cyborg Superman had hurled into space with Doomsday tied to it!

Back on Earth, Lois is worried because Clark has been missing for days, but she distracts herself with work.  She interviews Lex Luthor II about Sasha's disappearance, and he tells her an even more unbelievable cover story which she easily refutes.  After she leaves, Lex panics knowing that Lois will follow her story to the end.