End of Act II

The second Act of post-Crisis Superman ends as editor Joey Cavalieri departs for Eddie Berganza to take over next month.  Act II appropriately ends with a milestone anniversary and a final issue.

Superman #150

All over the world, from Mount Rushmore to Metropolis, needle-like missiles are raining down on Earth from out of nowhere.  Superman is powerless to stop these projectiles, and things get worse when the alien Vartox and his companions from Superman #148 attack him.  Their mysterious leader is revealed as Brainiac, who plans to tear the Earth apart with an energy web connected through these rods.  Vartox and his friends are helping Brainiac to spare their own home worlds the same fate.  The aliens hold down the Man of Steel for Brainiac to seemingly obliterate him, but even after his apparent victory Brainiac breaks his word and starts to destroy their worlds too.  But the aliens had betrayed Brainiac too, and had helped Superman fake his death.  Together, they save the Earth and Brainiac escapes in his ship.  

Though Brainiac doesn't have his signature skull ship, this is one of the best depictions of Brainiac in this period.  He looks closer to the pin-up we first saw of him back in Action Comics #600 before the disappointing Milton Fine version debuted.  Brainiac was about to get a major upgrade in Act III and would go through several more iterations after that.

During all the chaos, Pete Ross and Lana Lang visit Metropolis and Lois and Pete go for a walk together to talk in private.  Lois is still bothered that Clark didn't even tell her they named their son after him, but Pete admits he wonders if Lana ever really got over Clark.

After 10 years on various books, Dan Jurgens leaves the Superman titles for a few years.  Act II was characterized by an abundance of extra-sized issues with enhanced covers, and this book doesn't disappoint in that area.  The direct edition has an eye-catching prismatic cover that was better than any of the gimmicks we've seen in recent years.  There would be a few more enhanced covers in the next year, but this is actually one of the last ones.

Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #15

DC's latest annual crossover takes over their entire line again, however the over-sized final issue of this series is the only Day of Judgment tie-in for the Superman books.  Day of Judgment was the third 90's crossover to feature disgraced former Green Lantern Hal Jordan, who had gone insane following the destruction of Coast City during the Reign of the Supermen saga which began Act II.  DC tried to redeem the character by having him sacrifice his life to save the world in the Final Night, but Day of Judgment was an attempt to redeem him by bringing him back as the new Spectre.  This crossover was also future DC Chief Creative Officer  Geoff Johns' breakout story at DC, who a few years later would restore Hal Jordan as a Green Lantern.

This issue really only has one panel that ties directly to the events of the main crossover.  Instead, while the forces of Hell invade Earth, Lois is kidnapped by the Silver Banshee and taken to Neron's domain as bait for Superman.  Descending into Hell to rescue her, Superman encounters Neron who challenges him with a series of alternate realities.  Lois begs the Silver Banshee to let her go, but although the villain refuses she gives her a subtle hint that helps Lois guide Superman to her.  Superman defeats the Silver Banshee, and even though the stakes of her losing are her own damnation, he can't help but think she was actually trying to lose.

J.M. DeMatteis would return to the Superman books as a regular writer in a few months, and he would also continue the arc of Hal Jordan in a mostly-forgotten Spectre ongoing series that spun out of Day of Judgment.