This will start from Action Comics Annual #1, then overlap with the Millennium event.
- Superman Annual #1 Tears for Titano. (Dr Moyers [cf. S#7], also Mrs Wallers and Mr Steel). An experiment that escapes, and keeps growing until Moyers kills it.
- Action Comics Annual #1. Superman helps Batman out in a small town with an old vampire in the middle of the swamp.
- Action Comics #594 All That Glistens. First scene shows S asking B to investigate the Scrapbook that was mailed to him. Superman Day is approaching (in Metro.), yet Booster Gold is sending word that S is to be disdained (for reasons incl. the Qurac intervention). Last scene, after S is subdued by BG, shows a Booster Gold doppelganger.
- Booster Gold #23
- Superman #12 Lost Love. Tale of Clark’s first love with Lori the mermaid (a year before he would don the Superman cape). Final page shows the elder Kent’s checking up on Lana, and being shot by an unknown assailant.
- Adventures of Superman #435 The Circle Turns. [Already read, is in TMoS vol.5]
- Action Comics #595 The Ghost of Superman. Maggie Sawyer’s daughter is still missing. One Silver Banshee is killing people with her voice, S defeats her by using Martian Manhunter to pretend to be a ghost. Last scene shows Lana involved in some sort of plan to kill S.
- Millennium #1 …nb. Lana Lang is an agent for the Manhunters who want to attack all the superheroes and prevent the Guardians from inducing human evolution, note further that these events were promptly ignored, although, in the following Superman installations, it’s mentioned that she underwent brainwashing (and suffered for being a friend of Superman).
Planned reading:
- World of Smallville #1-4
- Action Comics #597 – Lois is told that Superman and Clark were raised as brothers, and is very very angry. Gangbuster is crippled in hospital from his fight with Combattor, which was an unknown person pumped with an unknown compound.
- Superman #15 Wings – One Skyhook is leading some sort of cat-burglary cult, turning children into half-bats, with a new member Jaimie Sawyer. Skyhook is subdued, but some children remain in limbo form, [unclear whether this will be followed up on].
- Adventures of Superman #438 – (Vril Dox, Brainiac). Brainiac is a circus psychic, and VD is a disembodied alien (due to a mishap with a teleporter) who takes over B for a while, until S subdues him and places him in psychiatric care.
- Action Comics #598 Checkmate – A suspected Quraci plot. Checkmate helps S as Q terrorists kidnap the (terrorist) Qurac defense minister, and pirate a nuclear navy ship.
- Superman #16 He only laughs when I hurt – The Prankster. Closing scene shows Supergirl being (unearthed) un-iced in the North Pole.
- Adventures of Superman #439 Tin Soldiers – Superman wakes up to discover he’s a robot. Saving Jimmy and Cat from paramilitary group. It was a robot double all along.
- Action Comics #599 Kryptonitemare – Metalmen hire Dr Tinker to fix Tin, but instead he (consults their boss-boss, Luthor, and) builds a Kryptonoid-man. S manages to subdue K-man, and reform all the Metalmen.
- Superman #17 – [Not read] Another Silver Banshee episode.
- Wonder Woman #16 – [Not read] Defeats Silver Swan. Media person organizes meeting between WW and CK, but “S” changes the details (as if) without CK knowing.
- Adventures of Superman #440 – WW date, Gangbuster still crippled, Batman finished analysis of scrapbook (knows CK identity), Morgan Edge anti-S tirade on tv, Supergirl being thawed in the antarctic base, nb. p22 is WW/S maccing.
- Action Comics #600 – Ouch, it was not reciprocal! Nevertheless good material, until date interrupted by call by Hermes, WW goes and S trails her, Darkseid has conquered Olympus, the send him packing. A short story about Lois’ response to the tabloid story about S/WW; LL tries to blackmail Maggie (lessie?), and discovers the Kr is poisoning him; S is being poisoned by the blast from his planet’s destruction finally reaching Earth; S is seeking cover in a cave, when found by Man-bat who calls in help from Hawkman.
- Superman #18 Return to Krypton – In H&H space ship visit the remains of Krypton and S hallucinates a “What if some Kryptonians escaped to Earth (and became intoxicated with their new powers)”.
- Adventures of Superman #441 – [Not read] Another Mr Mxyzptlk episode.
- Superman #19 The Power that Failed – (Prof Killgrave made new robot; Supergirl flying away; alien ship mystery; Psi-Phon & Dreadnaught, PP takes away S’s power and gives it to D)
- Adventures of Superman #442 – Aquaman and MM try to help, CK goes to Hamilton for help (forcefield-suit). Sg arrives in S’v with confused memories, including something to do with LL. CK defeats the aliens which were here to test Earth for an invasion.
- World of Metropolis #1-4
- #1 = History of Perry White, why he hates LL (incl LL being best friend, then chucking out newspaper and stealing his gf etc, suggestions that LL is father of Terry Jr).
- #2 = History of Lois as a young girl trying to get a job under White, sneaking into Lexcorp, Lex’s obsession with her from that time (nb. videotape).
- #3 = CK arriving in Metro, first job, getting into uni, choosing career, first admirer. Nice, a little sweet, explaining the transition from farm-boy to city-slick, but not as revealing as the prior two issues.
- #4 = Jimmy Olsen, first time he contacted S (before the watch), a nice feel about their relationship from his pov.
