I Confess

All of the Superman titles this month were in the middle of their story lines and it's hard to pick a standout book.  Though Jim Lee was the biggest name artist of this period, all of the books had some of the best artists in the industry even if they weren't yet as well known.  Both Superman and Superman/Batman felt like they were separate continuity from the other books, but Action Comics and Adventures of Superman maintained some of the connection that readers had loved during the triangle number years.

Superman #205

Though not wearing a clerical collar, Father Leone walks through Metropolis and has an awkward conversation with a vendor at a fruit stand who thinks it's best his son doesn't go to church anymore after the abuse allegations.  Father Leone buys a peach from him but when he gets back to the church he throws it in a fit of rage while taking the Lord's name in vain.  Superman arrives to catch the peach, and eats it while he tells the priest another confession.

Superman had found out that the disappearance of a million people a year ago had been traced back to somewhere in the Middle East.  Arriving there in the middle of combat, Superman tries to stop both sides from fighting.  Speaking rather condescendingly to Father Leone, he tells the priest how he took away "your" weapons to save humanity from itself.  But his faith in humanity is shattered when a small boy throws a rock at him.  After the story, Superman crushes the peach pit into a diamond and gives it to Father Leone, who casually tosses it into the fountain behind him.  On the last page, we get our first glimpse of Mr. Orr, a mercenary who watched the events in the Middle East unfold and will play a role as the story progresses.

"For Tomorrow" wasn't known for its multiple variant covers the way that Jim Lee's Hush had been, but this issue was unique in that it had a variant cover by Michael Turner.  

Action Comics #815

In Metropolis, Clark Kent has a heated argument with Lois over the phone about how she knew that he had been demoted weeks before he found out.  He thinks it couldn't get any worse, but he finds out his replacement is the annoying talk show host Jack Ryder, also known as the Creeper.  Lois doesn't actually appear in this issue, but she says she's getting ready for her trip to Umec that will be followed in the pages of Adventures of Superman.

Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash of the Teen Titans are in Smallville when the new villain Gog attacks.  Hearing Superboy call for help with his super hearing, Superman rushes to Smallville to join the Titans.  There's not much dialogue in this issue as most of it is a fight, aside from Superman's uncharacteristic snarky comments as written by Chuck Austen.  Just when Superman thinks he's defeated Gog, however, the villain dramatically stabs him with his cosmic staff on the last page. 

Adventures of Superman #628

After Replikon's unexpected death last issue, Superman tells the S.C.U. that he didn't kill him, before he disappears so Clark Kent can be conveniently found in a dumpster where he had supposedly landed after he fell out of the helicopter.  Back at his desk at the Shack, Clark Kent tries to give his new co-worker Jerry tips and advice on how to cover the story, but he senses she doesn't like him.  Jerry tells him she used to admire him when she was studying journalism, when he used to be a reporter.  After she leaves, he quietly tells himself that he's still a reporter.

At their apartment, Lois Lane packs for her trip to Umec when Wonder Woman drops in.  Lois asks Diana to check in on her husband while she's gone.  When Clark gets home from work, Lois has planned a dinner for the two of them before she goes away.  Clark reminds her that if a war starts in Umec then Superman can't be seen there or it will be assumed he's fighting for one side.  Lois leaves in the middle of the night, telling Clark to be safe.

Superman and Green Lantern John Stewart go into space to look for Replikon's children at the place the Green Lantern Corps had built for them, only to find his daughter has been murdered.  An unseen villain in a secret lab somewhere has taken Replikon's son to control him just like he did his father.

Superman/Batman #10

Wonder Woman takes Kara to Themyscira to train her to use her powers, while Superman and Batman debate over the nature and origin of the new Supergirl.  Supergirl bonds with her mentor, Harbinger, and says she thinks they're going to be friends for a long time.  While by herself, however, Harbinger sees a vision of Supergirl's apparent future death in her orb.  A Boom Tube opens on Paradise Island and Darkseid sends an army of Doomsday clones to distract Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.  In the aftermath of the fight with the Doomsdays, the Trinity discover that Harbinger has been killed and Supergirl has been taken to Apokalips.  Superman vows to go to there and bring her back.

Readers at the time were still skeptical that DC would ever let the real Kara Zor-El come back after all these years.  The presence of Harbinger in this story hinted that it could just be misdirection or a repeat of Supergirl's death from Crisis on Infinite Earths.  The death of Harbinger was unexpected and it was the first indication that this could be the real Supergirl back for good.  Next month DC would kick off its first Crisis event in years, and that would start the unraveling of the post-Crisis universe we had known up to this point.