The OMAC Project

Even if you weren't reading any of the Infinite Crisis preludes, if you were reading other DC books at this time you still had some awareness of what was going on.  Magical characters were affected by the the Spectre's rampage in Day of Vengeance; villains all seemed to be working together in Villains United; robots called OMACs were attacking all over the Earth; and space heroes were consumed by an interplanetary conflict in the Rann-Thanagar War.  The monthly stories in each of the miniseries didn't matter so much in their tie-ins, they were basically just a status quo for this six-month period.

Superman #217

Superman has been missing in action for three weeks, but the U.S. government notices a Superman symbol in the jungles of Peru in a satellite image.  The Daily Planet sends Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen to investigate, and after a brief kidnapping by a drug cartel, Superman finds them and shows them his new Fortress of Solitude.  Unfortunately, the rebels return and blow up the dam by the village neighboring the Fortress that Superman had been protecting.  Superman tries to stop the water from destroying the village, but he's attacked by an OMAC.  Although Superman beats the OMAC, he loses the trust of the village, which is an even worse defeat.

The new creative team of Mark Verheiden and Ed Benes takes over this issue, the first Superman tie-in to an Infinite Crisis prelude, the OMAC Project.  Though last month led into Day of Vengeance, it wasn't branded as an official tie-in on the covers.

Action Comics #827

Superman stops a local warlord in Africa, and Clark Kent returns home inspired to write a new book about the subject.

A new magnetic villainess who calls herself Repulse starts to target other magnetic powered heroes and villains, like Aura and Dr. Polaris.  Repulse attacks Dr. Polaris and starts to tear apart Metropolis.  Dr. Polaris seems to have lost his positive/negative split personality, but Superman realizes that there really is no Repulse, and she's just a figment of his imagination.

Gail Simone, who was also writing Villains United at the time, joins as the new regular writer.  John Byrne returns to draw Superman just before the era he began comes to a close.

Adventures of Superman #640

At the top of each page, mostly spread over two pages, Superman fights Ruin while Lois Lane narrates, pondering how crooks evolved into today's darker villains who would target a hero's loved ones.  At the bottom of the page, Clark Kent visits Lana Lana at Pete Ross's request, but she assures him they'll never get back together.  Lois is still investigating who tried to shoot her when she hears the news of the fight between Ruin and Superman.  On the last page, Superman unmasks Ruin to reveal former Vice President Pete Ross. 

While new creative teams start on the other books, Greg Rucka remains the writer on Adventures of Superman along with new series artist Karl Kerschl.

After just starting a new story arc last month, Superman/Batman takes a couple months off.