Lois Returns

Most of the Superman series are doing simple 2 or 3-part stories now, while Jeph Loeb's main Superman title has a series of self-contained stories for the 6-month period until the books crossover again for a month.  During this time, the only unifying thread throughout each series has been the separation between Lois and Clark.

Superman #179

After another session of therapy, Superman stops to catch a thief in Harlem where he meets a local hero who calls himself Muhammad X.  This hero doesn't welcome the Man of Steel, but rather questions what he's doing in their neighborhood.  This leads Superman to consider issues of representation that have been persistent among fans in the real world as well.  He even consults the JLA's longtime non-white member, the Martian Manhunter, to ask the question: why aren't there more black members in the Justice League?  Muhammad X would never appear again after this issue.

On a rendezvous with Lois, her mother sees her kissing Superman which further reinforces her suspicion that they're having an affair.

Ed McGuiness drew the cover but guest artist Ariel Olivetti drew the interior.  This was before Olivetti would adopt his instantly recognizable self-colored art style.

Adventures of Superman #601

Cult of Persuasion part 1 of 2

The new Persuader (from issue #598) breaks out of prison with the help of his mysterious, and possibly demonic, cellmate.  Clark Kent tries to warn Perry White that the Persuader might be coming for him, but Perry doesn't want to live his life any differently.  On the last page, however, the Persuader comes to the Daily Planet looking for him.

Clark Kent returns back to his empty apartment only to listen to a devastating message from Lois on the answering machine.  Though Lois tells him she loves him, she also says she still hasn't had enough space apart from him.


Superman: The Man of Steel #123

Gangs of Metropolis part 1 of 3

Natasha Irons was kidnapped by the Cybermoths to become their new queen, replacing the disgraced Luna.  LexCorp CEO Talia Head offers to help Steel get his niece back, but only in exchange for the Entropy Aegis armor.  The Aegis seemed like it was going to be a dramatic costume change for Steel when it was first introduced, but now that he's hardly worn it since then it seems more like a MacGuffin.

Superman finds that former-queen Luna has been demoted to the front lines by the gang's unseen leader, the Overmind.  Working for Overmind, the lava-powered villain Earthquake returns and surprisingly manages to defeat the Man of Steel in combat.

Lois' mother confronts her daughter again to ask if she's having an affair with Superman.  Lois does a spit take when her mother reveals she was cheating on Lois' father, which her mother had assumed she knew.

John Cassaday, who did last month's cover, does all the covers for this story arc.  He would return almost a decade later to draw the covers during the Grounded arc at the end of the post-Crisis era.

Action Comics #788

Mercy, Love & Blood part 2 of 2

Superman clashes with the Japanese heroes, Gunshin and Byakko over whether to kill their opponent or not.  Byakko uses her powers to stop her husband from beheading Superman with his mystical sword.  But after their fight, Gunshin can't resist pursuing the villain Sakki, and he is tragically killed in battle.  

In side-by-side scenes, Lois returns to Clark in Metropolis and their relationship is restored, while in Japan Byakko arrives home to find her murdered husband.  

Byakko would return to this series the following year for an arc featuring super girls.

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