Equus-Men

Superman is all over the place during this period.  He goes to a war zone without Lois in one book, while in another she goes to a war zone without him.  He fights Gog in Smallville, and goes to Apokolips to fight Darkseid.  There was really no way to align these contradictory stories in continuity.  The story by Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee was already supposed to have happened over the last year anyway, but For Tomorrow never really fit anywhere in a timeline.  Even at the time readers questioned if this story was canon, or whether it even could be canonical.

This same month, DC quietly started their first event in years, Identity Crisis.  Although it would only have a handful of tie-ins to the rest of the DC line, it would set into motion a series of events that would lead into a bigger Crisis which would consume the DC universe for the next few years.

Superman #206

Superman continues his confession to Father Leone by the fountain while this time the priest eats a peach.  After Superman had taken the weapons away from the armies in the Middle East, he met a cyborg supervillain named Equus who has claws similar to Wolverine, and which are somehow strong enough to cut Superman's skin.  Unlike how he had redesigned Batman's villains during the Hush story arc, Jim Lee here seems to be redesigning X-Men characters for DC.

A general named Nox arrives to the scene and orders Equus to stand down.  Superman tells Nox and his men to throw down their weapons and surrender to the proper authorities, but Nox informs him that he is the authority now, proper or not.  Nox states the war is over and it's time to start the healing, to which Superman asks how he can help.  Sincere in his desire to aid, Superman puts out fires and rescue people trapped under collapsed buildings.  Back in the present with Father Leone, he condescendingly tells the priest he "cleaned up the mess you'd made."  Flashing back to that night, Superman learns Nox has found the weapon which inadvertently caused the vanishing of a million people.  Equus is out in the desert hunting after the man responsible and Superman flies off to find Equus.

Azzarello's Kryptonian almost acts more like an alien god than the Superman we've seen previously, or even in currently in the same books this month.  This Superman questions if he really knows what love is, or if his feelings for Lois are just what he thinks love is supposed to be.  His intervention in a war zone is reminiscent of the Golden Age Superman, but it's also hard to reconcile with Greg Rucka's Superman who told Lois last month that he wouldn't rescue her from a war zone so that he can retain the appearance of impartiality.

Action Comics #816

Superman and Superboy (Conner Kent) continue their fight against Gog, the new villain who came to Smallville out of nowhere.  Gog keeps teleporting and appearing behind the two, tearing up their costumes and inflicting damage every chance he can get with liquefied Kryptonite from his cosmic staff. Other than that, there's not really much dialogue or plot to this issue.  Wonder Girl  (Cassie Sandsmark) and Kid Flash (Bart Allen) evacuate the people of Smallville, but then the fight moves to an abandoned military base where Kid Flash had taken some of the bystanders.  As Superboy tries to save the people, Gog stabs Superman again and the wounded Man of Steel falls in Superboy's arms, reminiscent of the death of Supergirl in Crisis on Infinite Earths.  Superboy asks Gog why he did it, but the silent villain teleports away leaving Superboy sobbing over the lifeless Superman.

Adventures of Superman #629

Superman and the S.C.U. have a confrontation with Replikon's son, Xlim.  It feels like a hostage situation, and Superman guesses that Xlim is being controlled by a harness attached to his body, just like his father was.  After the fight, Xlim is brought back to his captor's secret lair, who regrets the pain and suffering he's causing and promises to let Xlim go after he's done using him.  The following morning, Superman goes to visit Lieutenant Leocadio at her home, and she invites him in even though she's soaking naked in the bathtub.  He resists all of her attempts to flirt with him and they discuss business.

Meanwhile in Umec, Lois Lane is told she's assigned to a front line military unit but when she finds them she learns their deployment is way in the back, just for support.  The major ominously tells her not to get shot.

Superman/Batman #11

Superman, Batman, and Wonder show up at Big Barda and Mr. Miracle's suburban house in Connecticut.  Barda's husband is touring at the time, but she offers to take them all to Apokalips to get Supergirl back from Darkseid.  Before they leave, they get into an argument and Superman brings up Jason Todd's death, which neither of them can stop thinking about for the rest of the issue.  After their Boom Tube opens, the heroes split up.  Wonder Woman and Barda battle Granny Goodness' Female Furies, but Barda is taken hostage.  Batman finds an armory of hundreds of hellspores, each of which could blow a hole down to the planet's core leaving a firepit.  Batman is followed by the dog cavalry, and one of Darkseid's giant hellhounds swallows him whole!  Superman makes it to Darkseid's private chamber, where he finds Kara scantily clothed with a new hairstyle.  Darkseid says Kara is free to leave if she chooses, but when Superman tries to take her away he finds out she doesn't want to go.  The corrupted Supergirl punches her cousin into the floor, and Darkseid gives her the command to kill him.