Superman and Lex Luthor Team Up
Zod comes so close to conquering the Earth and killing all superheroes, that Superman and Luthor are forced to team up against him. In a less forgettable story, Superman faces a new version of Mr. Mxyzptlk. And Clark Kent gets his job back, just as Lois leaves the Daily Planet.
Action Comics #804
As Zod takes over Washington, D.C., President Lex Luthor escapes into space and finds the real Superman floating there in Zod's old armor. Luthor takes Superman to Stryker's Penitentiary, which was relocated to an asteroid. Luthor and Superman form an uneasy alliance, although Luthor vows to Superman when this is over he'll get back at him for tampering with his memories. The prisoners on Stryker's are now the only metahumans unaffected by Zod's virus, and Luthor tries to recruit them as his army against Zod. The villains refuse Luthor's offer, but Superman manages to persuade them with a motivational speech to do the right thing for once in their lives.On Earth, Zod is preparing to start executing superheroes, when he gets a warning that they're under attack. An asteroid is heading directly towards them, accompanied by Blackhawk jets and led by the Man of Steel.
We didn't know it at the time, but there were only 100 issues left to this series at this point.
Adventures of Superman #617
A new pair of 5th dimensional villains, the Mxy Twins Dale and Dolores, start appearing everywhere in the universe as encyclopedia salesmen, but they can't find anybody who wants to buy their Encyclopedia Universal. The twins visit President Luthor at the White House, the Guardians of the Universe on Oa (who I don't think were even around during this period), and even the Legion of Superheroes in the future. Dale and Dolores simultaneously appear to Perry White at the Daily Planet and Lois and Clark at their apartment. After an altered reality experience, Lois and Clark foil the imps and appear back in their apartment, but they get a call that Perry White is in the hospital. Superman suspects the twins were responsible for Perry's condition, but when he confronts them they resume their reality-bending games and take away the Earth's gravity.This was an early attempt to modernize Mr. Mxyzptlk into a less cartoony, more human-looking version. The producers of the Smallville TV series would try something similar the following year, more out of the necessity of human casting. I think it made more sense in live action than it did in comics.
Superman #194
The story lines focused on new characters in the last several issues are abruptly abandoned this month, as a loose end is tied up from Jeph Loeb's run. A reckless elevator technician at LexCorp is almost fired for pretending to be Superman jumping into an elevator shaft. But while this daredevil employee gets demoted lower and lower, he seems to be digging for confidential information hidden in the company's computers. Meanwhile, Lois Lane finds Clark Kent's hidden Suicide Slum office where he's been secretly working for Perry White. It turns out Clark has been in disguise as a LexCorp employee and eventually Superman breaks into the sub-basement where Lex Luthor's former bodyguard, Hope, has been held after having her mind wiped. Clark was helped by an anonymous tip, which is implied to be none other than LexCorp's current CEO, Talia Head, who has previously been trying to sabotage the company behind Lex's back. Clark's story about Hope exonerates him and he gets his job back at the Daily Planet. But as Clark and Perry celebrate their victory, Lois announces she's leaving for a job as an on-air reporter, which seems to be getting back at them both for keeping a secret from her.Hope was last seen exactly a year ago when she denied any knowledge of the information she had confided to Lois Lane. She would only be seen one more time after this, in the 2007 series Infinity Inc.
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