Public Enemies

Superman/Batman is the highlight of the month again.  We get to see Natasha Irons in action as the new Steel, and we learn a little more about the new Supergirl.  But not much.

Superman/Batman #2

In case Metallo is still waiting for them on the surface, Superman and Batman escape from being buried alive by going through the ground and into the sewers of Gotham.  Batman takes the injured Man of Steel through a secret tunnel to the Batcave where they're greeted by Alfred with a rifle.  Superman finds it funny that Batman's butler guards the cave with a shotgun, but Batman reminds Superman that he has a guard dog at the Fortress of Solitude.  The banter between the two heroes and the contrasting dual narration really sets this series above all previous team-ups.

Alfred surgically removes the shards of Kryptonite from Superman's heart, but after he recovers a Boom tube suddenly opens inside the cave.  An older Superman, resembling the version from Kingdom Come, claims to be trying to prevent a horrible future by killing his past self.  The heroes fight, but right before the future Superman is about to crush Batman with the 60's Batmobile, the present-day Superman shoots him using Alfred's rifle and the Kryptonite bullet.  Kingdom Come Superman immediately disappears in another Boom.  This subplot was cut entirely from the animated adaptation, and won't be resolved until a year and several arcs later.

President Luthor tries to destroy the Kryptonite meteor that's heading towards Earth with missiles sent through a Boom tube, but they have almost no effect.  Captain Atom expresses his discomfort at using embargoed Apokoliptian technology, but Lex tells him the American people won't care how the threat was stopped as long as it is.  From the Oval Office, Luthor announces the approaching meteor to the world, but then claims that it's somehow Superman's fault and, citing some questionable constitutional powers, offers a one billion dollar reward to anyone who turns Superman in to face charges of crimes against humanity.

Action Comics #807

The new Steel, Natasha Iron, stands off with Traci 13, who she mistakenly thinks has captured Superman.  After they clear up the confusion, the two work together to save Superman from the magical wound he received from Byakko.  

A goth girl wandering around Suicide Slum gets a tattoo, but then when she hears that Superman was attacked she unexpectedly transforms into Cir-El, the new Supergirl.  This is confusing because this is the first we've seen of Cir-El having a secret identity.  

Byakko finds where Traci 13 has taken Superman, and Supergirl arrives to help the other girls.  The girls use their combined powers to try to keep Byakko away from the unconscious Superman, but using her ghost powers she successfully stabs him again before she disappears.

It's great to see Natasha take the mantle of her uncle, but so far Superman has been unconscious through this whole story.

Adventures of Superman #620

Lois Lane tries to warn Luthor's political opponent, the Candidate, that somebody is trying to assassinate him.  Meanwhile, Superman is distracted in outer space stopping a Cannibal Planet from devouring Earth.  Like when he created a new center of gravity from a dwarf star to undo the temporary damage caused by the Mxy twins, Joe Casey's Superman goes to extraordinary and unnecessary lengths.  Here he freezes the Cannibal Planet but then, for reasons that aren't really clear, he has to use a burst of heat vision at long range to keep the Earth from freezing.  Superman makes it back to Earth just in time to stop the assassin from succeeding in killing the Candidate.  It turns out the Candidate hired the hitman on himself to try to turn himself into a martyr, and the Cannibal Planet was working for the hitman to distract Superman in space.  

It's hard to tell if the story is trying to be epic and failed, or it was intentionally ridiculous.  This story wasn't on par with the Coming of Galactus, or a political thriller.  For some strange reason, the art on every page of this issue is shrunk down inside a rectangular box even though the panels have borders.  It seems like a printing error and that it should have bled to the end of the page at full size.

Superman #197

Superman tries to catch a crashing plane, but his powers are becoming unpredictable.  First, he's stronger than he expected and flies through the plane, but then he's not even able to fly anymore after he saves it.  He gets a ride home from Lois Lane, where he admits he still has hearing loss.

A highway patrolman investigates a mysterious spaceship that crashed just outside of Metropolis, but he's exposed to radiation and isn't feeling well himself after that. 

The Futuresmiths take Cir-El to the Fortress of Solitude, where she meets Krypto.  She mentions that her other self has a cat, the first indication in this book that she has another identity.  Clark Kent gets noticeably more sick by the minute, so Superman rushes to the Fortress of Solitude where he collapses from his illness in front of Cir-El and Krypto.  This book finally seems to be heading in a direction for its upcoming 200th issue.