One Year Later

The entire DC line skips ahead one year after the conclusion of Infinite Crisis, even though that story hasn't even wrapped up yet.  This decision spoiled some of the suspense at the climax of Infinite Crisis, since readers could for the most part tell which characters were safe now.  There were still some shocks left, however, and the biggest death of the event would hit this month in Infinite Crisis #6.  

Alexander Luthor tries to create a perfect Earth while the heroes are distracted by the Crisis.  Superboy Prime returns for  rematch with Kon El, and although Luthor's machine is destroyed in their battle, a New Earth is created out of the chaos.  Unfortunately, Kon El doesn't survive the fight and dies in Wonder Girl's arms, similar to Kara's death in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The only thing that was certain about the end of the Crisis was that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman would disappear for a year, and this missing year would unfold in the weekly series 52 which also started this month.  52 was an ambitious story that I don't think can be fully appreciated by readers who didn't digest it in weekly installments at the time it came out.  Though the rest of DC's line was set a year later, events that were revealed in 52's lost year would suddenly become topical in other books, sometimes the same week or the week after.

Like at the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths, some series like Wonder Woman, the Flash, and JLA would be relaunched months later.  Other series would continue the same numbering, but have a change in title and a shift in focus to different characters: Legion of Superheroes would become Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes; Aquaman would become Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis; and Hawkman would become Hawkgirl.

The Superman titles would undergo an undoing of the original Crisis.  The post-Crisis Superman title started by John Byrne ended last month, and Adventures of Superman changed its name back to its original title, Superman.  Unfortunately, that would mean one less Superman book per month, and it would remain that way for most of this final era.  New editor Matt Idelson would be joined by new writers, Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns.

Superman #650

Up, Up, and Away part 1

The Man of Steel hasn't been seen for a year since the end of the Crisis, but Clark Kent is still an active reporter at the Daily Planet.  Lex Luthor has somehow just been acquitted for all of his crimes again.  Though he's a free man, however, his reputation is ruined and he lost his own company.  

An accident in a lab turns a scientist into the new Kryptonite Man, but Clark Kent uses his signal watch to call Supergirl to respond to the threat.  Lex Luthor's henchmen grab Clark and take him to an alley where Lex demands he stop writing stories about him.  Clark refuses, and while his men hold him down, Lex punches Clark in the chest and jaw, drawing blood.  It seems Superman lost his powers at the end of the Crisis and still hasn't gotten them back a year later.  Even worse, he's concerned that he never will.

Action Comics #837

Up, Up, and Away part 2

A powerless Clark Kent continues to fight the good fight as a reporter.  He follows the trail of Lex Luthor to one of his old hideouts where some aspiring Intergang wannabes have discovered a hidden stash of Luthor's old battle suits.  Green Lantern and Hawkgirl answer Clark's signal watch, and after saving the reporter's life Green Lantern tells him that it's time Superman got back in the game, and he offers him a power ring.

After losing his company, Lex Luthor retreats to an old hideout and assumes the role of a reclusive mad scientist, a version of Lex Luthor we hadn't really seen much of in post-Crisis continuity.  We also get to see some newly redesigned villains, including a Toyman who's less human than his previous version, and a Metallo who's now more humanesque and less robot.

Superman/Batman #25

With a Vengeance chapter 6

The alternate Supermen, Batman, Supergirls, and even the Maximums from this story turn out to have been the result of a cosmic chess match between the Joker and Mr. Myxyzptlk.  Still possessing some of Myxyzptlk's magic, it's revealed the the Joker could only be harmed by one of his own creations, which Bizarro has been manipulated to do.  Batman's own 5th dimensional imp, Bat-Mite, is freed from the Joker's mind, and reality is put back to normal.  The imps send the Joker away to meet his destiny with the Red Hood, and Lex Luthor to play his part in the upcoming Crisis.

Jeph Loeb's years-long saga comes to an end, wrapping up stories going back to Emperor Joker, which he comments still hadn't been collected in trade paperback at the time.  After months of delays, this issue didn't take place one year later like every other book this month, but the next issue would be an epilogue to Infinite Crisis.