Superman #3

EXILE:

• Superman #28 – Starts with a good recap.
  • Apparently, Brainiac was injured in the Invasion and is now back within the clutches of Lexcorp (and senses/tells that S is no longer around).
  • CK’s expose is being published, re. Edge’s Galaxy co. and Intergang.
  • First world S visits is lifeless, reminding him of the horror; nearly crashes into a star; saves an alien from crash landing but quickly leaves to avoid becoming another planet’s super man; just wants to be alone. Btw, he’s got Hamilton’s oxygen mask, and Omega Man’s teleporter.
  • Ms McCoy is still after the CK/S link, and is now hiring a PI who goes to CK’s apartment but is mistaken for CK and killed by Edge’s men.
• AoS #451
  • S is eaten by some weird giant space alien, but finally teleports out.
  • LL finds out that it was CK who saved his life, so now promises to kill CK’s “killers”. Nb, LL is still controlling Delgado, sends him to attack Hamilton (since S is away), but H uses his forcefield to sever the link controlling D.
• S #29
  • S teleported back to the previous world, and again saves an alien ship. Yet exploring its planet shows it to be very very recently abandoned, except for inorganic matter (just like, S think, Trudaeu…) [but I haven’t read that issue?? Hfuhruhurr]
  • Lane mourns CK; sent by Perry White to Trudeau, South Dakota, where an entire town was killed a year ago, but Pentagon PR is trying to cover up.
  • Pentagon is forced to ‘fess to Lois: is explained that H is aka Word Bringer (i.e he brings the good word, “union”), an alien that creates a union out of/by combining the minds and bodies of many, S defeated H, but the free minds took control of S and wanting to die turned off their life support, and meanwhile H escaped. (nb. link to idea of S, murder, guilt).
  • S finds H’s ship (giant as Metro.), filled with brains. Oh the horror.
• AoS #452 
  • Horror beyond comprehension, possibly the worst S has ever witnessed, the sheer scale. But it also an opportunity for an atonement. But H produces Eon, viz. the personification of the Union.
    • [There is something Buddha, or zen about the Union, and H’s arguments for it]
    • S is told that at Tradeau, he wasn’t mind-controlled into killing those souls, rather they used telekinesis. S is relieved to hear this.
    • S manages to convince E. They will only offer Union now, esp to those dying, not demand it, and control H. (Nb. S was faced with another judge/jury/executioner option until E offered that).
  • “With Superman missing, the sheer redundancy of my life is almost unbearable! I always wanted him off my back, but like a retired athlete missing the applause… the combat… I need my enemy!” – LL p8
  • Continued Cat/Edge relationship.
• S #30
  • S travels to a volcanic planet devoid of life, to be alone. He leaves. The experience of hyperspace is humbling, even for S. Another planet, prairie planet, S becomes a farmer for a while, until an awesome flash flood takes it all away. As he’s leaving he gets hit by a meteor storm, frustration is building up. Nothing goes right. PS. he doesn’t realize he’s leaking air.
  • Matrix still coming to terms with life. An illustration of what great parents the Kents were/are.
  • Extra story: LL: A recap, [I realize, esp. with his missing hand, S is LL’s white whale], and finally desperate for a display of power, he plans to take over STAR Labs.
• AoS #453
  • S runs out of air. He hallucinates (some great insecurity talk), then floats in the abyss, left for dead except for a lone ship that “rescues” him… to be sold.
  • LL continues his mysterious STAR Labs “takeover” plot. Brilliant last page in terms of design and impact!
• S #31
  • [Mr Mxyzptklk] Destruction, in a bid to lure S, LL sends forth “Team Luthor” roboman-like to deal with Mr M, who realizes that LL is the only man in town: deal is that if Mr M shaves his head (like LL) then he’ll leave. LL defeats him by lying to him, so that Mr M gets frustrated and just leaves! (But has he too learned to lie?)
  • Revealed: LL wants STAR Labs psionics facility to use on the necessarily-kept unconscious Brainiac. (STAR are forced to spin the facility off, and sell it).
• AoS #454
  • S on slaver ship. Warworld, Mongul.
  • [McCoy, Sawyer]
  • Matrix runs away to Metro, taking the form of CK. [Btw Bibbo]
  • The STAR lab saga finishes. Cherry on top was LL using a dummy corp to make heaps off pretending to be buying all of STAR.
• Action Comics Annual #2
  • [Cell Keeper 385, The Cleric] S fights for amusement, until he defeats the champion Dragaa, but still he refuses the law saying the victor must kill.
  • Once Kryptonians would clone at birth for spare parts, then arose an anti movement, eventually mega-terrorism and war. Scientists invented the Eradicator. A Black Zero movement was responsible for starting a chain reaction that would create the poisonous Kr.
  • Says that Jor-El corrected some flaw inherent in all Kryptonians otherwise when making (artificially, but with Lady Lara’s tissue too) S. That’s why when the Cleric took 100,00 souls wanting to live away from the pro-cloning, they all died. Because the flaw is ties them to their planet. The Cleric left with the Eradicator.
• S #32
  • An origin story of sorts is told for Warworld.
  • S is to be executed, then fights Mongul until transported by the power of the Eradicator to the Cleric.
  • Matrix as CK is in Metro, spotted by Olsen who suspects amnesia.
• AoS #455
  • Learn some more about Warworld (overseers/Mongul truce). Revolt due to Mongul’s failure to kill. Mongul flees before Draaga.
  • S embraces the Eradicator, whose full potential is still unknown, but massive. But the lesson is interrupted so that S may return to settle matters on Ww.
• S #33
  • But Ww departs in hyperspace despite Draaga’s wish for honor-combat.
  • S and the Cleric have some visions, come to terms that he’s worthy to accept the Eradicator, and C dies (200,000yo).
  • Cat was CK’s source for the Intergang story. It’s agreed that Lois will take over now that “CK” has amnesia.
• AoS #456
  • Edge’s ally is Darkseid, who is sending him Turmoil to assist with his PR problem… going after CK and Lois; Gb and Sawyer’s SCU tries to save the latter.
• AC #643
  • Great 2nd page, nostalgia for the city plus riffing off the it’s a bird, plane, S motif. The 1st page was a reverse echo of the scene when S first flew away from Earth into space. And hashtag optimism! Even Lex is happy to see him.
  • Turmoil attacked Cat, Matrix/Kent, and now Lois and Gb, then S. Edge has a heart-attack before he can reveal link, but a revealing scene shows that it was actually Desaad pretending to be Darkseid.
  • Final scene: Matrix/CK in center of explosion aftermath with Eradicator in hand.
• Secret Origins v2 #49
  • 2pp on Bouncing Boy and how he joined the Legion of Superheroes (you know 30th C guys…)
  • Cadmus, mad (unethical) scientist Donovan, creator Dubbilix, and also in madness D.N.Alien, kids that were clones of their elders as a group, kid falls into shaft, into underground prehistoric monster world, meets Donovan is still alive, but then no one believes him. End: strange little story, not really an “origin” as such, although it does contain details.
  • The Silent Knight – only skimmed, but looked like a poor picked on guy finds a magic armour at its core.

Interim ISSUES:

• S #34 – Ongoing how-to-deal-with Matrix; return of Skyhook (ft. Sawyers).
• AOS #457 – (Btw, sounds like Lois has finally forgiven CK for, scooping and colluding on his first big break). Ongoing Matrix; now she’s echoing S, who defends a fourth estate ball from Intergang.
• AC #644 – S tackles Matrix/S; Starman is trying to call S. Matrix remembers who she is, and leaves Earth (not clear whether to ever return).
• AOS #458 – Olsen experiences some sort of mutation to gain a stretchy power.
  • Set-up = ALL DP employees (incl. White!) are obligated to attend an aerobics exercise class! {So very stupid}
  • “Doh, I’m stupid Clark, and this is too hard, mere seconds after talking to Cat about my fitness. PS. I don’t sweat, because of, as I explain to Cat, “hereditary”.
  • Obviously Olsen panics. As expected. Almost anaconda’s Cat to death. “Don’t touch me, waaaaa,” and S just lets him fall, glad (!) that he bounces. Nonetheless the panel showing him crying on the roof (c. innocent compared to what will come later), is admittedly sad. Until S drops him off with Hamilton, and JO starts to bemoan and blame S for his predicament. [And I thought we were pal’s! how dare this accident happen].
• S #35 – Tale of Brainiac and of Morgan Edge is told in parallel (both in coma, etc). Latter dreams of dad killing mum, dark emotions, and Desaad, whilst Dark Rider prepares to finish him off in the hospital and then walks off (revealed: he is actually the spirit of some guy in a coma). Brainiac escapes his body, by making it die, and not immediately returning when it was resuscitated (he is now linked to his body, but is an astral projection) [cont: AC647].
• AOS 459 – Jimmy’s been made into an Elongated Man (cf. silver age power he gained), and via Hamilton it looks like the Eradicator is involved, so S chucks it into a South (?) Pole crevasse. Meanwhile Jimmy is to go to Cadmus for their genetic research prowess to see if they can help.
• * Note AOS 460 goes here, but it under Eradication! below.
• AC 647 – [Brainiac trilogy starts] B takes over lab, attacks LL (all the way in some automated factory), but S saves. Last scene reveals that B has got Metallo on board as well.
  • Recap: Seems that current catatonia was due to B invading Gb identity, and feedback from dual identity contradiction (i.e. when S was Gb)
• AOS 461 – Global bad weather… it’s the Eradicator causing it. S travels into it into some preserved memory of it (or back in time) in order to become a full Kryptonian by passing their rite of passage so that the machine will listen to him. It stops. And builds S what is basically a museum for krypton.
  • The rite was done by his parents, it was a vision of a barbaric emotional man being overcome by a scientific man.
  • Stretchy Jimmy is missing.
• AC 648 – Disembodied Brainiac and Metallo invade Cadmus to make use of their genetics in order to splice the original alien DNA back into the human body of B. M is subdued. LL goes to the psionics lab and is captured by B.
  • At some point looks like CK went to work for Newstime
• AC 649 – Brainiac Trilogy Pt.III; Recap B origin; S tries to attack, but B escapes in a skull spaced ship, heading to Colu, had planted bombs in Metro for S to deal with while he got away.
• AOS 463 – Really fun FLASH VERSUS SUPERMAN race (hosted by Mr. M). F wins. Nb. different people cheering on their favorites and their honor, e.g. JLE vs JLA, etc. Nb. Mr. M drops some red kryptonite around LL, who thinks it’s worthless.
• AC 650 – Draaga whom S defeated on War World is looking for a ride to Earth for a rematch. He apparently left his throne (which he won) on War World.
  • Sazu (was was a villain working for, and ultimately betraying, and hence waiting for her return and revenge, Maxima; an issue I skipped), meets her public defender. Maxima is obsessed with S (to mate with?)
  • Olsen is still harboring some bile for S re. the whole stretchy-disease fiasco, and so locks up his signal watch.
  • McCoy is still on the case.
  • Btw, remember that S shaves with a mirror + heat vision.

* Order is A460, AC 647, S 38 (Jimmy story, skipping), AOS 461 [Erad], AC 648 [Brainiac pt2], S 39 (Olsen), AOS 462 (christmas special), AC 649 (B pt3), S 40 (Four Armed Teror), AOS 463 (racing Flash), special AC 450 (taxi drivers), S 41 (Lobo vs Bibbo), OS 464 (Lobo vs S), AC 451 (S vs Maxima), etc etc.

ERADICATION!:

Action Comics #651-652, Adventures of Superman #460, 464-465 and Superman #41-42

AC 642-661 so far dl

• AOS #460 – S goes back to visit the Eradicator to find that its built itself a fortress. He fails to control or destroy it, and it does something to him…
  • The E caused the K vulnerability to leaving the planet. Its goal is to eradicate all life and replace it with a recreated K.
  • Thorton wants to hire CK away from the DP to Newstime Mag
• S 41 – Day of the Krypton Man Pt I
  • S goes to his frozen base, to put away the slivers of Kr he took off Bloodsport, thinking for the first time that this place would make a good base and a safe place away from dangerous hands.
  • Lobo overhears a wager and is convinced to go to Earth to defeat S before D does (basically for a bet, and for the recording to be sold). On Earth, he gets Bibbo (that drunk who loves S), and then goes to the Fortress.
  • CK/S is gradually transforming into a self-important, selfish person (the readers can realize that its something to do with the Eradictor or the ritual, turning him into an ideal Kryptonian).
  • Recap says that Olsen’s dad was once military liaison for the Cadmus Project, and the same people who killed him, have now captured his mother.
• AOS 464 – DotKM p II
  • S has some sort of new mental powers. Goes to deal with Lobo at the fortress. We see more of it, incl a hologram room (of K), a giant mech-suit, S only prevails by tricking them that he’s dead, and they leave.
• AC 651 – part III
  • Maxima arrives, they have their differences, S’s power keeps increasing as does his K-identity, she is subdued but released by the political powers to avoid the possibility of an invasion (since she is a head of state).
• S 42 – part IV
  • Fight D (note S has no qualms killing if need be). Hamilton tries to teleport them out of civilian area, accidentally sending them to the moon.
  • CK’s life is falling apart, going to lose job, parents disappointed, eviction…
• AOS 465 – part V
  • Hamilton teleports S back to Earth (without Draaga)
  • CK is fired from Newstime. Kents are worried. S helps Gangbuster with some criminals, but decides he should plan to leave Earth since he can’t help its flawed inhabitants, final scene shows S holding the Eradicator.
  • Interesting: This is an exploration of the alien nature of S, the substrate of his consciousness which underlies his external appearances and behaviors.
• AC 652 – part VI – Eradicator turns on the Kents in the Fortress, and S subdues it, realizing that it has been controlling and coercing him for many months. Finally, he sends it into the sun.

Post-interim:

• S 43 – [Mokkari, Simyan, their hostage Ms. Olsen… ah, those are the two prisoners whose JO’s dad died trying to recover, and whom recently Ms O came across in her search for her husband]. They make a clone (from tissue received via attacking S with a monster in S #40). It’s destroyed, along with its creators, and Jimmy finds his mother, being told in the process about how his dad was cloned many times over (by bad guys I think). [M&S were themselves creations of a rogue Cadmus scientist who wanted them to continue his works, nb. Evil Factory is an evil parallel Cadmus, which I’m getting the impression is some government run operation]
• AOS 466 – [Not read] Dealing with a falling spacecraft, and some creature it creates…
• AC 653 – [McCoy] Final scenes is her meeting him, revealing her knowledge, and a Kr ring, S goes unconscious and she departs, but in last page drops ring in gutter as she is taken by some gang. She wanted him to know, but didn’t want to hurt him, hates Luthor, is confused and is still mourning the death of that P.I. who died by mistake when Intergang tried to kill CK. Btw. This issue had some stuff about Intergang, a meeting about what to do with Edge who is now awaiting court, and plans to kill Cat Grant.
• Beginning of CK/Lois: Exile, then return and forgiving CK for stealing the S scoop, then he leaves her by going to Newstime, and the Eradictor makes him an asshole, and then he returns to DailyP and forgiveness and big hug, and then the flood gates are open and romance.
• S 44 – “Dark Knight Over Metropolis” Part I.
  • Seems that McCoy was killed. Batman finds her ring (from a scumbag attacking bums in a Gotham alley). Luthor discovers the rings absence.

Blindspot attacks Delgado/Cat. Later are sent Chiller and Shockwave.

• AOS 467 – Part II
  • I like the scene with S praising Gb, and then B arrives (nb. praise of regular guy who can get hurt applies to B too).
  • Remember: That Lois knows that Lex had poisoned her mother.
  • S & B defend gala at Lex’s house from Intergang troops
• AC 654 – Part III
  • Cat taken by Chiller (who can change his appearance, into Delgado’s) to be mindwashed by Dr Moon, but S & B & Gangbuster find their location via Shockwave.
  • “I want the means to stop me… in the hands of a man I can trust with my life.” Even after B gives him the ring, S returns it to him.
• S 45 – Old Indian and reservation land versus mineral rights versus twentieth century reality; CK in S’v, tells Lang that he’s seeing Lois.
• AOS 468 – Henshaw from that shuttle that crashed (cf. AOS 466) is an energy creature now and leaves for the stars in a ship made from S’s matrix-chamber that he left in space (in S #1)… he now puts it in his Fortress. [S writes in his journal in kryptonian]. Last scene is CK being stood up by Lane, who also had an accidental date with S.
• AC 655
  • LL follows some stolen arms; Habitat (fantastical tree city, #Cadmus), being used by son of John Morrison, who is preparing some sort of private army.
• AOS 469 [Not Read] [Psi-phon, Dreadnaught]
• AC 655 – Soul Search part 1 – S is sent to Hell by Dark Rider, after Jimmy Olsen and Jerry White are in hospital, there he finds them trapped by the (other side of the nightclub owner Blaze) demon (devil?) Blaze.
  • Remember that JW is Lex’s son
  • Apparently, they were shot during a drug purchase from Interchange for Blaze, or at least JW was and JO was in the way.
• S 47 – part 2 – Dark Rider sends Gangbuster after the physical Blaze.
  • Nb the Club Blaze is in the same church that Skyhook used to caccoon the children (remember Jamie Sawyer), and in fact B sets Skyhook against S in Hell.
  • Wtf is Dark Rider: He wears a black skiing outfit, with poles and all!?
• AOS 470 – part 3 –
  • Btw, Pete Ross asks Lang out, says he always had a crush on her.
  • Jerry dies, but S manages to subdue Blaze and rescue Jimmy.
• AC 657 [Toy Man] – Mr Jessup’s daughter kidnapped, Henderson is investigating, Mr J is high up employee (?) of Lex, and Toyman sends Lex a threatening message, apparently Lex destroyed his career.
  • T is using toys to kidnap children (keeping them in a playful paradise). He is a bittersweet character; lonely.
  • Now that Mannheim is top dog of Intergang, T is less interested, esp. since they’ve lost the Apokolips weapons link, and T was the only one who understood the tech anyway.
  • I hadn’t read S #13, in which Toyman first attempted revenge, but was intercepted by Intergang who took him hostage and forced him to join, but he still resents them, and attacked Lex against their wishes.
• S 48 – Sinbad Contract Part 1
  • Davood is a Quraci boy who realized he had powers after the Invasion event (when they sickened everyone with a meta-gene). His sister accidentally comes across a belt (the “Black Belt”) that magnifies powers, receiving it from a dying man who is passing it onto Lex, and who is being chased by unknown entities (robots) who had attacked S before.
  • Deal with theme of Quraci (Arab) identity, cf. terrorism, war on, stereotypes, self-assertion.
  • Btw, Lex is depressed, he lost his biological son, and he’s dying.
• AOS 471 – Part 2
  • Davood realizes that Lex wants to experiment on him, and use the belt for selfish reasons. Lex tells authorities that “Sinbad” is a super-terrorist. Lex meets the other people after the belt…
  • Confusion of Quraci identity, hate the old regime, but won’t accept that new is bad too. Is angry at S for attacking Qurac, believe he would uproot them all if he could.
• AC 658 – Part 3
  • Resolution. Belt is burnt out in saving the city from a bomb-ufo lex set-up to kill Davood aka Sinbad. The DMT arm dealers disappear. And Lex pretends to be a loving guy, telling people not to judge Quraci’s etc etc.
• Next: Krisis.