Rise of the Robots

 Pre-Crisis Superman famously kept robots of himself which could be used for various purposes, such as to handle Kryptonite or impersonate him to protect his secret identity.  Until now, the robots in the post-Crisis Fortress of Solitude have been distinctly Kryptonian in appearance and function, but now we get a modern take on a Silver Age concept as Superman's robots make their debut.

Superman #143

This issue is narrated by Lois Lane's column as she writes it, while her boss Simone impatiently waits for her to finish.  Simone expects Lois to be a cheerleader for Superman in any circumstances, but the wife of the Man of Steel writes a shocking criticism of her husband's descent into dictator.  

In an otherwise quiet issue with no dialogue other than Lois and Simone, we see the fallout of Superman's intervention in Asia last month.  When the rest of the world reacts negatively, Superman doubles down and creates an army of robots to police the world for him.  

Lois hits "enter" to submit her article, and while Simone is no longer looking over her, she sees that she's now being watched by a Robot Superman flying outside the window of LexCom.  She determines that she's the only person who can do anything about it and that she needs to find a way to get to the Fortress of Solitude.

Adventures of Superman #566

While his robots engage in fights around the world, Superman personally intervenes to stop the launch of a warhead in the Middle East.  To his surprise, however, the missile turns out not to be nuclear, but armed with Kryptonite.  Fortunately for him, this turns out to be more of Lex Luthor's synthetic Kryptonite which doesn't affect him.  

Now able to tie it back to Luthor, Superman flies to Metropolis and orders everybody to evacuate LexCorp before he hurls the building into space.  Back on the ground, the Special Crimes Unit tries to arrest Superman, but knows there's really nothing they can do to stop him.  Their standoff is interrupted by Outburst and Superman flies away.  Despite losing his building, Luthor believes things are going perfectly according to plan.

Lois Lane calls in a favor from Kitty Faulkner at S.T.A.R. Labs and gets on a helicopter to Antarctica.  At the JLA Watchtower on the moon, members of the Justice League agree they have to stop Superman.

Action Comics #753 

The Justice League tries to reason with Superman but he doesn't want to listen.  When the Martian Manhunter gets into Superman's head, he finds out how truly disturbed the Man of Steel is now.  Batman concludes that Superman is insane and it's apparently contagious because of how his mind affected the Martian Manhunter's.  Team Supermen and the Supermen of America join in the fight, but Superman flees the scene and sends in his robots to keep the League busy.  Superman rounds up nuclear weapons from around the world and throws them into the sun, similar to a scene from Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.

Franklin Stern talks to Ron Troupe about an idea he has involving a vacant storefront.  The farmer Odetts locates Perry White because he's been unable to get a hold of Lois Lane.  Perry wonders where Lois could be without her phone, while in the Antarctic Lois arrives at the Fortress of Solitude.

Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #13

Louise Simonson may have left writing Superman: The Man of Steel, but she still has a few Superman issues left to write under this series now.

After hurling the world's nuclear weapons into the sun, Superman goes back to Earth to join the battle in progress with the JLA.  The fight moves around the globe to Superman's Fortress in Antarctica just as Lois arrives there.  With no other options, the Martian Manhunter instructs Green Lantern how to construct Kryptonite with his ring, and Green Lantern nearly kills Superman with it.  Escaping into his Fortress, Superman speculates that he would be dead now if he hadn't just spent time in close proximity to the Sun.  Lois tries to reason with her husband, and on the last page we get a glimpse of the mastermind who's been manipulating the Man of Steel this whole time: Dominus.