New Powers
After the death, resurrection, and wedding, the Superman writers needed another gimmick to get them through the next year. They decided not only to give him a costume change, but also completely alter his powers. This strange year would also feature a newly introduced cast of supporting characters who, like the new costume, would just never stick with the fans. The change in his powers feels like an unplanned event since Superman had just gotten his old powers back.
While justifiably criticized, gimmicks like this did manage to keep Superman in the public eye. I remember at the time Jay Leno told a joke on his show that Lois and Clark just got married and already she wanted to change his costume.
Clark's
old European flame, Simone, is the Daily Planet's new marketing
consultant, but against all journalistic integrity she wants to use
Superman's image to sell papers.
Lois gets a cryptic message on her computer and then suddenly satellites start attacking major cities on Earth as the attacker demands a billion dollar ransom from every nation in the world. A satellite weapons system developed to shield the Earth from alien invasions has been turned on the planet instead. Superman goes into space to take out the satellites, while Lois takes her computer to Professor Hamilton to trace where the message came from. They figure out the satellites are being controlled from Bhutran, back to the drug lord who caused them all the trouble during their wedding and honeymoon.
This issue has the first house ad for Superman's electrifying new costume and powers coming up in a month.
Inside the Bottle City of Kandor, we meet the rebellious Ceritak, a hulking blue alien with horns who dreams of leaving the imprisoned city while his father tries to make it a functioning society.
In Metroplis, Dirk Armstrong brings donuts to the Kent's apartment to try to find out how an right-wing conservative like himself can get on liberal Perry White's good side. Dirk mentions for the first time that he has a daughter. Clark tries to make them coffee but has trouble with his hand passing through the machine like a ghost.
The Kents get rid of Dirk so Superman can go stop a drive-by shooting. However, Dirk sees the bullets pass through Superman and hit an innocent bystander, and Dirk starts to think Superman is a menace.
Superman takes Lois to the Fortress of Solitude to investigate what's going wrong with his body and powers. When Superman shows her the Bottle City of Kandor, however, he starts to fade like a ghost again and he gets sucked inside the miniature city. Before he's trapped there, Superman struggles and breaks free. He decides not to risk being too close to the Bottle City right now and to see Professor Hamilton instead, but as the couple leaves the Fortress, they don't notice that Ceritak has also been freed from the Bottle City.
In Metropolis again, Superman's powers are out of his control. He passes through walls and floors, is blinded by every frequency on the electromagnetic spectrum, and discharges energy bursts. He inadvertently causes a power outage that allows the delusional Atomic Skull to escape from Stryker's Island Prison. The Atomic Skull believes Superman is his arch-nemesis from a movie serial and that Lois Lane is his girlfriend, Zelda. While fighting the villain, Superman transforms into a form of blue energy, until he completely disappears in an explosion.
Elsewhere in the city, Intergang is taking out the Metropolis gang leaders so they can have a crime monopoly.
Superman finds himself teleported to the Arctic station he visited a few months ago when he was trying to get his powers back from the Final Night. Ceritak walks on foot through the Arctic wasteland and catches a glimpse of Superman before he teleports again. Ceritak climbs on the back of an airplane that's coincidentally also going back to Metropolis.
After several attempts to control his new teleportation power, Superman starts to track down the trail of the Atomic Skull who's now abducted Lois Lane. He also learns by accident that he can access information directly from computers just by touching them now. Ultimately, Lois Lane stops the Atomic Skull and Superman advises she keep her distance as his new powers may be a threat to humans.
The following month, the Superman books would get a make-over with a shocking new electrified logo. Though he would no longer be a Man of Steel, that series would oddly keep its title through this period.
While justifiably criticized, gimmicks like this did manage to keep Superman in the public eye. I remember at the time Jay Leno told a joke on his show that Lois and Clark just got married and already she wanted to change his costume.
Superman: The Man of Steel #66
Lois gets a cryptic message on her computer and then suddenly satellites start attacking major cities on Earth as the attacker demands a billion dollar ransom from every nation in the world. A satellite weapons system developed to shield the Earth from alien invasions has been turned on the planet instead. Superman goes into space to take out the satellites, while Lois takes her computer to Professor Hamilton to trace where the message came from. They figure out the satellites are being controlled from Bhutran, back to the drug lord who caused them all the trouble during their wedding and honeymoon.
This issue has the first house ad for Superman's electrifying new costume and powers coming up in a month.
Superman #122
In Metroplis, Dirk Armstrong brings donuts to the Kent's apartment to try to find out how an right-wing conservative like himself can get on liberal Perry White's good side. Dirk mentions for the first time that he has a daughter. Clark tries to make them coffee but has trouble with his hand passing through the machine like a ghost.
The Kents get rid of Dirk so Superman can go stop a drive-by shooting. However, Dirk sees the bullets pass through Superman and hit an innocent bystander, and Dirk starts to think Superman is a menace.
Superman takes Lois to the Fortress of Solitude to investigate what's going wrong with his body and powers. When Superman shows her the Bottle City of Kandor, however, he starts to fade like a ghost again and he gets sucked inside the miniature city. Before he's trapped there, Superman struggles and breaks free. He decides not to risk being too close to the Bottle City right now and to see Professor Hamilton instead, but as the couple leaves the Fortress, they don't notice that Ceritak has also been freed from the Bottle City.
Adventures of Superman #545
Elsewhere in the city, Intergang is taking out the Metropolis gang leaders so they can have a crime monopoly.
Action Comics #732
Superman finds himself teleported to the Arctic station he visited a few months ago when he was trying to get his powers back from the Final Night. Ceritak walks on foot through the Arctic wasteland and catches a glimpse of Superman before he teleports again. Ceritak climbs on the back of an airplane that's coincidentally also going back to Metropolis.After several attempts to control his new teleportation power, Superman starts to track down the trail of the Atomic Skull who's now abducted Lois Lane. He also learns by accident that he can access information directly from computers just by touching them now. Ultimately, Lois Lane stops the Atomic Skull and Superman advises she keep her distance as his new powers may be a threat to humans.
The following month, the Superman books would get a make-over with a shocking new electrified logo. Though he would no longer be a Man of Steel, that series would oddly keep its title through this period.
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