Another Filler Month

Just weeks away from a new era of Superman, many of the current creators seem to be cleaning out the unused stories from their desks.  While Act II ends without resolving its problems for the main cast (Clark is still unemployed and Lois is still working at LexCom), the writers focus instead on some new and old villains.

Superman #148

While on a mission to Mars for NASA, Superman is abducted and teleported to a distant barren world, where he soon finds other prisoners are also stranded.  One of these captives is Vartox, a former adversary and ally from the pre-Crisis era making his first post-Crisis appearance.

Their kidnappers brought them to this world to make them fight off an alien invasion, and then they can be sent back to their home worlds.  Superman leads Vartox and the others in successfully driving the invaders from the planet and is rewarded by being teleported back to Earth.  After he's gone, however, a mysterious villain shows himself in the shadows and we learn that Vartox and the others were being forced to deceive the Man of Steel.

While visiting Clark's parents in Smallville, Lois discovers that Lana and Pete had a baby and they named after Clark.  Although she learns Clark was aware, she's hurt that he never told her the news.

Dan Jurgens will return after next month's "Strange Visitor " arc to wrap up this story in the double-sized 150th issue, which will be his final issue.

Adventures of Superman #571

Joseph Martin now receives pharmaceutical treatment which prevents him from becoming the Atomic Skull.  He sells the rights to his story to a movie studio, but he regrets that decision when he starts to see the film in production has no resemblance to his life story.  While he becomes more frustrated with the project, somebody is sabotaging the movie set and Joseph Martin seems to be the likely suspect.   It turns out the movie's producer is trying to halt the shoot in a cliched insurance scam to pay off his debt.  Martin reluctantly turns back into the Atomic Skull to become a hero, but is arrested in the end for violating his parole.  Though Superman grabs the real villain in the end, he's mostly an observer in this villain spotlight.  In fact, probably half of the Superman appearances in this issue are really just an actor playing the role in the movie.

This is long-time Man of Steel writer Louise Simonson's final issue of Superman.

 

Action Comics #758

Intergang's Boss Moxie pays a visit to an old brother in crime who now own a repair shop as a front.  Moxie asks his inventor friend for a new toy that can beat Superman, so they go deep into the basement below the shop where his friend has constructed a giant lobster robot, as seen on the cover.  Moxie knocks out his friend to steal the robot, but when he attacks Superman with it the robot turns on Moxie instead.  Superman is forced to stop the robot lobster and then takes Moxie to the police.  With Moxie out of the way, his friend becomes Boss Sixty, and the new leader of Intergang.

Clark Kent breaks a lunch date with Lois to stop Intergang, he tries to make up for it that night by cooking her dinner.  Lois stays at work late to teach him a lesson, but they make up in the end.

Stuart Immonen and Mark Millar would transition to the next Act, but only for the first few issues of Adventures of Superman.

Superman: The Man of Steel #93 

A naive reptilian monster living in the sewers named Nekton makes friends with some children and gives them some priceless jewelry as a gift of friendship.  When the children show the treasure to their father, he has them lead him to Nekton's lair and then manipulates the monster to commit robberies.  Superman follows the trail of the thief down to the sewer, but the child-like Nekton attacks him thinking Superman is going to take the children away from him.  The fight ends after Nekton sees Superman is more concerned for the safety of the children than their own father is.  Superman confronts the father for endangering his children and using Nekton to commit crimes.  He takes the father in to the authorities, but decides to leave Nekton where he is rather than bring him to S.T.A.R. Labs.

The creative team of Schultz, Mahnke, and Nguyen would remain on this series through the transition to the next Act.  Nekton will resurface a year later in Superman: The Man of Steel #106.