The Day the Earth Died
The first "book" of Camelot Falls came to a conclusion this month. Richard Donner also continues his comic book saga that starts to resemble his movies. And Superman/Batman returns with a new art team.
Superman #658
The journals of Lois Lane written in the near future of 2014 tell the story of Khyber bringing about the end of human civilization. With Superman gone, Lois watches as Lex Luthor leads the last heroes and villains against Khyber. Parasite has absorbed enough of Superman's powers and memories that he tries to talk to Lois as if he's Clark, but she urges him to absorb somebody else's powers before they fade so he can continue to fight. As the Parasite falls in battle, Lois says goodbye to Clark. Just as Khyber appears to have won, the Man of Steel returns from being trapped in the center of the Earth, and carries Khyber into the sunlight above the clouds. However, Superman still refuses to kill an enemy and Khyber ends his life before Sirocco kills Khyber. Even with the villain dead, things don't get better, and Jimmy Olsen as the last boy on Earth continues the journal until his end in 2056.
Back in the present, Arion of Atlantis tells Superman that the cycle of civilizations rising and falling is normal. The problem, he says, is the heroes don't let civilization fall so when the end comes it's worse than ever. It seems to be trying too hard to be a philosophical "why must there be a Superman" story. The alternate future it depicts was an entertaining read, but it wouldn't really last beyond this arc. It throws a lot of elements at the reader with no introduction, just like the villain Khyber who was never really fleshed out.
Action Comics #845
Lois and Clark discuss what to do with the new boy from Krypton. Ma and Pa Kent tell them they're too old to raise another child now, and while Clark would like to do it himself, the boy has quickly become the most wanted child on Earth since his arrival. Superman stages a press conference to announce the boy's arrival and what will become of him, but Lex Luthor sends Bizarro to try to kidnap the boy.
After the boy from Krypton disappears, Lois and Clark suddenly have a new foster child and Lois starts to call him Chris. Elsewhere, some other Kryponian pods open and the boy's real father emerges, General Zod, joined by Ursa and Non. These characters were also major villains in Richard Donner's Superman and Superman II, and while there have been several versions of Zod in recent years, this is the first appearance of the real Kryptonian General Zod since Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Superman/Batman #31
Plastic Man takes the black rock back to Luthor, but corrupted by its influence Plastic Man doesn't want to give it to him. Luthor plans to have Plastic Man killed to get the black rock off of him, but after an encounter with Martian Manhunter and his forgotten sidekick Zook, Batman makes it to Luthor's hideout in time to stop him. Another forgotten alien from the 60's, Ultra the Multi-Alien, meets Supergirl and the two arrive just in time to stop Batman. Then everybody stops in their tracks when Superman arrives, still possessed by the alien entity like all of the other aliens.
Ethan Van Sciver still draws the cover, but the rest of this story arc would be completed by other artists. In a flashback, we see the Silver Age Justice League, where careful readers would notice Wonder Woman has been retconned back to her original role as a founding member.
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