The Joker's Back
The cover is literally the Joker's back. This month Superman faces off against several villains who haven't been seen in years, like Skyhook, Psi-Phon, and Dreadnaught. Most of these are inconsequential, but his rematch with the Joker will have lasting ramifications that will very nearly kill Lois Lane and break up his engagement.
An enterprising toy manufacturer named Anson Turley tries to profit off a serial killer by marketing unlicensed toys based on the Joker. This turns out to be a very bad idea when the Joker kidnaps Turley and forces him to be his business partner. Lois Lane is disgusted by the toys and sneaks into the toy factory to try to get an interview or find some dirt on him, but Turley is (literally) tied up at the moment. Superman saves Metropolis from a parade with bombs disguised as toys, but the Joker gets away. That evening, Lois and Clark troy to enjoy a romantic dinner at her apartment when a delivery man interrupts, delivering a mysterious but apparently harmless Joker figure.
At GBS, Cat Grant takes Perry White's advice to surround herself with the best and she hires Jimmy Olsen.
By this time the mini-series Kingdom Come, which substituted DC superheroes for prophetic figures in the End Times, had become the unofficial road map to DC's future. According to that story, Lois Lane would die at the hands of the Joker.
Skyhook's winged children are back and committing robberies in the city. Keith and his friends are visited by a winged girl who offers to lead them to Skyhook so they can get wings too, and they agree hoping to lead Superman to the villain so they can save the children under his control. Keith leaves a trail of glowing star stickers in the sewer and the plan actually works when the Man of Steel goes searching for the missing children. Once again Skyhook disappears and is apparently destroyed. The Whites are upset that Keith sneaked away and endangered his friends, but then they realize they have to reassure Keith nothing like that would change their minds about adopting him.
Jimmy is angry at first when he thinks Cat only hired him because he knows how to contact Superman, but she's so pleased when he follows the Skyhook story into the sewer that she immediately puts him on the air.
Green Lantern Kyle Reiner is abducted by aliens and a giant robot attacks Metropolis. The robot turns out to be under the control of Psi-Phon and Dreadnaught, who Superman describes as "two of the most incopetent yet potentially deadly foes" he's ever fought. Though Kyle Reiner is not one of the Green Lanterns who helped defeat them the last time, Psi-Phon and Dreadnaught kidnapped him anyway to get revenge. After saving Green Lantern, the two heroes are able to easily defeat the villains.
Jimmy covers the story live but his camera loses transmission during the fight and GBS plays a Superman biography until they can get the live feed back.
In a mostly silent issue, a mysterious bug-eyed alien bounty hunter comes to Metropolis to try to capture Superman. After the fight, Superman suspects that the alien couldn't hear sound. The bounty hunter's motives remain unsolved, but all will be explained next month in the Trial of Superman.
Thankfully this book was a fast read because this month has a 5th week of Superman.
The Contessa finally arranges a meeting with Alpha Centurion, where he swears he must have met her once before.
At the Daily Planet, Perry White watches on TV as Jimmy Olsen finally gets to deliver his Arclight story on GBS.
Superman uses the contact information he got from Robin (in Action Comics #683) to contact Oracle to help find the fugitive Lex Luthor. Unfortunately, Lex hacks into their online conversation and leads Superman on a wild goose chase to his old estate, that he detonates when the Man of Steel arrives.
In his private jet, Lex is visited by a shadowy figure who materializes out of a fog and wants Lex to uphold his end of the bargain which restored him to health. Luthor grudgingly obliges his "benefactor", even though it means freeing the Parasite from S.T.A.R. Labs. The story of Luthor's miraculous recovery and his mysterious benefactor will be revealed in DC's next crossover, Underworld Unleashed.
Action Comics #714
At GBS, Cat Grant takes Perry White's advice to surround herself with the best and she hires Jimmy Olsen.
By this time the mini-series Kingdom Come, which substituted DC superheroes for prophetic figures in the End Times, had become the unofficial road map to DC's future. According to that story, Lois Lane would die at the hands of the Joker.
Superman: The Man of Steel #49
Jimmy is angry at first when he thinks Cat only hired him because he knows how to contact Superman, but she's so pleased when he follows the Skyhook story into the sewer that she immediately puts him on the air.
Superman #105
Jimmy covers the story live but his camera loses transmission during the fight and GBS plays a Superman biography until they can get the live feed back.
Adventures of Superman #528
In a mostly silent issue, a mysterious bug-eyed alien bounty hunter comes to Metropolis to try to capture Superman. After the fight, Superman suspects that the alien couldn't hear sound. The bounty hunter's motives remain unsolved, but all will be explained next month in the Trial of Superman.Thankfully this book was a fast read because this month has a 5th week of Superman.
Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #2
Superman tracks down Lex Luthor to his hideout in the Caribbean island of Puerto Seguro, only to find a decoy that blows up in his face.
The Contessa finally arranges a meeting with Alpha Centurion, where he swears he must have met her once before.
At the Daily Planet, Perry White watches on TV as Jimmy Olsen finally gets to deliver his Arclight story on GBS.
Superman uses the contact information he got from Robin (in Action Comics #683) to contact Oracle to help find the fugitive Lex Luthor. Unfortunately, Lex hacks into their online conversation and leads Superman on a wild goose chase to his old estate, that he detonates when the Man of Steel arrives.
In his private jet, Lex is visited by a shadowy figure who materializes out of a fog and wants Lex to uphold his end of the bargain which restored him to health. Luthor grudgingly obliges his "benefactor", even though it means freeing the Parasite from S.T.A.R. Labs. The story of Luthor's miraculous recovery and his mysterious benefactor will be revealed in DC's next crossover, Underworld Unleashed.
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