Camelot Falls: Book II

While Last Son continues to be on hold, Camelot Falls returns for its second book.  After several months of filler, however, it feels like the pieces are having to be set back in place from where the story left off.

Superman #662

Subjekt 17, who disappeared after his last fight with the Man of Steel, wanders through Tibet where even in the most remote villages everyone on Earth seems to know who Superman is.

At the Fortress of Solitude, Superman scans Power Girl's DNA, which because she is a Kryptonian from another universe, could not have been the third Kryptonian that the Auctioneer had discovered.  Superman visits Zatanna to try to learn more about the mysterious Arion of Atlantis.

While flying aimlessly around the world, Superman finds a hero in Iran who he had previously seen in Arion's vision.  Superman calls him by the name he knew from the future, Sirocco, and his new friend likes it so much he decides to keep it.

At home in Metropolis, Lois takes care of their new adopted son Christopher, when the city is suddenly invaded by New Gods.

This issue was originally solicited as a one-shot story titled "Whatever Happened to Krypto."  That story would be solicited several more times, but it wouldn't actually see print until years later in Superman #712, as a fill-in issue amidst delays in the "Grounded" story arc.  While searching for the third Kryptonian, Superman remarks that Krypto hasn't been seen in a year.

Action Comics #848 

Guest writer Fabian Nicieza fills in a two-part story while Last Son continues to be delayed.  In the missing year without his powers, Clark Kent hears rumors about a religiously motivated superhero protecting missionaries in Africa.  A month ago, the mysterious hero Redemption conflicts with a local African military and the clash devastates a city.  Superman follows Redemption's trail to a small town in Colorado.  In a setting familiar to Superman's upbringing in Smallville, Redemption has been raised by a charismatic preacher who seems to control the whole town.  As reporter Clark Kent, he tries to investigate the story, but Redemption's father turns the whole town against him.  Back in Metropolis, Superman hears that Redemption is rampaging in Africa again and he flies there to confront him.  While this issue brings up some interesting ideas of what can go wrong if Superheroes get too religious, but ultimately it suffers from all of the problems it points out.

Superman/Batman #34

The Metal Men are reintroduced into the post-Infinite Crisis/52 DCU.  After briefly appearing in 52, this story virtually retcons the group:  Doc Magnus is no longer Veridium; the formerly deceased Gold is alive now, although for some reason a disembodied head; Copper is now a female; and Platinum goes by the name Platina.  Drastic changes in continuity like this would make people start to think that Superman/Batman was no longer in continuity.  Some of the retcons, like Platinum's name change, wouldn't stick as canon.  The Metal Men would go on to star in their own 8-issue series shortly after this story arc.

Pat Lee had completed the year-long Batman: Journey Into Knight the previous year, so his Batman depiction was familiar to readers by now, but he hadn't done much Superman work yet.