It was the end of the millennium, and the anticipation of the year 2000 is evident in all of this month's books, which naturally lead into the first multi-part arc of the Loeb Kelly era: Y2K. But first, Superman confronts a new villain that will shake the whole universe in a company-wide crossover more than a year later.
Superman #153
Mongul takes Superman into deep space to find the villain Imperiex. At first Superman is reluctant to be the aggressor, but when Imperiex makes it known that he plans to destroy the galaxy, Superman attacks. Imperiex disappears in a flash, but in the epilogue the reader sees that it was only a probe for the real Imperiex, who is considerably larger. The real Imperiex is clearly being set up as a cosmic villain with a herald, like Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Superman is left to fight with Mongul, but they're interrupted by the bounty hunter Lobo who offers to take Mongul off Superman's hands.
Superman reveals to Jimmy Olsen that he really is married but chooses to keep his wife's identity a secret. Before Superman leaves Earth, he sends Jimmy with a cryptic message for Clark (who obviously isn't home) and Lois: "Beef bourguignon with ketchup." This is a reference to a pre-Crisis date Lois and Clark shared in Superman #297, but it's used for the first time here as a code word to mean he was fine. Lois trims the Christmas tree at home while she waits for her husband to return, ready to write the last Superman story of the twentieth century.
Adventures of Superman #575
Lex Luthor invites Lois and Clark to the opera, but of course he's scheming something. Clark realizes Luthor drugged his champagne to make him feel sick, but he plays along and excuses himself to go save people in a snowstorm as Superman. An assassin tries to murder Lex Luthor but apparently misses the shot at point blank range. Clark had quietly returned the box, and discretely shows Lois the bullet he caught at super speed. Clark reveals to Lois that he could see Luthor was wearing a bullet-proof vest under his tuxedo, and they wonder why Lex went through all the trouble to try to get rid of Clark and impress Lois. Luthor meets with the failed assassin later, pays him off, and tells him to leave town.
Although a 75th issue, this one didn't have any extra pages, cover enhancements, or any other gimmick. DC doesn't always seem to consistently celebrate every 25th issue, but Action Comics #775 and Superman #175 would both be extra-sized anniversary issues.
Superman: The Man of Steel #97
The Eradicator, confused by his conflicting Kryptonian programming and his human experiences, comes back to Earth and attacks Stryker's Island Prison. While fighting with Superman, the sight of nearly killing a child shocks the Eradicator and his human side takes over again. The Eradicator decides that he's a danger o the planet and that he needs to leave for now.
Steel sets up his new Metropolis base of operations, the Steel Works, and the mech suits he designed for the S.C.U. are used against the Eradicator.
The triangle numbering here is apparently out of order and places this issue after Y2K. I don't seem to recall the books coming out in that order at the time, although the reading order actually works either way as this issue and the next are told in flashback. For simplicity's sake, I'll cover Y2K in its entirety next time.
Action Comics #762
In the midst of the unseen chaos of Y2K, Superman has a flashback to another moment of chaos: shopping for Lois on Christmas Eve. At the mall, Clark Kent finds the Demon, Etrigan, standing in for Santa Claus. The Demon's rhyming speech reads reads like a demented night before Christmas poem. La Encantadora returns, but the Demon steals her magic and turns her into a child until Superman stops him.
Writer Joe Kelly is joined for the first time by artist Kano, who will be the regular penciler on the series for the next year and a half. Next month, a new regular penciler joins Jeff Loeb and the creative teams that will define the Loeb/Kelly era are complete.
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