Lex 2000: Election Eve

In the same year that Al Gore and George W. Bush campaigned against each other in real life, Lex Luthor's presidential campaign is the main thread that unites the Superman books now.  They retain their triangle numbers, but their story lines are mostly independent of each other now.  Some things are referenced from one series to another, but you could also read each series by itself right now.  Interestingly, Peter David's Supergirl series is more closely connected with the Superman titles during this period.

Superman #163

Continued from last issue, Atlantis floods Metropolis while Aquaman extradites Lex Luthor to the bottom of the ocean.  The giant sea monster from last issue climbs the Daily Planet, just like on the cover, and in a joke Lois names him "Mraraghh" after the noise it makes.  This was reminiscent of how the villain Doomsday got his name, although Mraraghh's name never really sticks.  

Young Justice are the first superheroes to arrive on the scene and help drain the floodwater from the city, and then Superman goes to Atlantis to rescue Lex Luthor.  But scheming political candidate Luthor seizes this opportunity to make himself look diplomatic and it works.  

Later in Metropolis, Luthor is speaking at a campaign rally when he's suddenly shot by Jenny Hubbard, the diner waitress he had played mind games with years ago in Superman #9.  Luthor recovers in the hospital and goes up in the polls, almost as if he had planned it that way.

Coincidentally, Supergirl arrived in Metropolis during this flood in Supergirl #51.  Having just lost her angelic powers the issue before, she adopted her new look inspired by her Superman: The Animated Series costume.

Adventures of Superman #585

At home, Clark teaches Lois the Kryptonian meditation discipline Torquasm Rao, but she has a mystical out-of-body experience where she sees an evil force all around Metropolis.  Lois collapses from exhaustion and Clark changes to Superman to patrol the city.  Superman finds himself attacked by shadowy, demonic monsters but he's rescued by a parliament of owls from out of nowhere.  The owls disappear and he glimpses a Native American woman standing on a building before she vanishes.

Thorn is fighting crime in the streets when she's attacked by the Prankster, who still has Steel's stolen armor.  At S.T.A.R. Labs, Dr. Faulkner is surprised to run into her alter ego, Rampage.  Lois and Clark's disabled neighbor boy, Cary, is taken from his room by the Adversary.  Rose, Thorn, Dr. Faulkner, Rampage, Cary, and the Adversary are tall taken by the Prankster to meet Lord Satanus and their split personalities.

Superman: The Man of Steel #107

In Supergirl #52, Supergirl fights the Prankster in Steel's armor and awkwardly runs into her former lover, Lex Luthor, who doesn't recognize her any more.  After those events, John Henry Irons finally gets his armor back in this issue.

Still feeling guilty for leaving the villain Luna in the Phantom Zone back in issue #100, Superman decides to go into the Zone to try to find her.  In the Phantom Zone, Superman runs into his ancestor Kem-L again.  Meanwhile, back at their apartment, Lois practices Torquasm Rao alone and reaches the "Rao state" again, which enables her help her husband in the Phantom Zone.  Superman successfully brings Luna back from the Zone, but she brings along a parasitic creature she calls her Lunatick.

Action Comics #772

Lois Lane continues to find out who tried to poison Superman months ago, and her investigation takes her on a safari in Africa with Jimmy Olsen.  Lois, Jimmy, and their guides are then ambushed by professional assassins.

La Encantadora's kid brother is kidnapped by assassins in Metropolis, and Superman finds Talia al Ghul hiding in the closet of his room.  Superman and Talia form an uneasy alliance to look for her father, Ra's al Ghul, who kidnapped the boy to force La Encantadora to do something for him.  Talia expects to find her father near the ground in proximity to a Lazarus pit, but Superman finds a massive airship flying over the location where they expected to find him.  Despite the Batman villains, Superman unfortunately does not want to involve his friend in this search.