Up, Up, and Away



Event Name: Up, Up, and Away! Alternate Names: No known alternate names

Synopsis
Event Locations: Metropolis First Appearance: Superman (Volume 1) #650 Cast of Characters:


 * Heroes:
 * Superman
 * Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
 * Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders)
 * Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)


 * Villains:
 * Lex Luthor
 * Bloodsport
 * Kryptonite Man (K. Russell Abernathy)
 * Livewire
 * Metallo
 * Neutron
 * Prankster
 * Puzzler
 * Radion
 * Riot
 * Silver Banshee
 * Toyman


 * Others:
 * Jimmy Olsen
 * Lois Lane
 * Perry White

Synopsis: Clark Kent is adjusting to a life without super-powers. He throws himself into his work and even manages to surpass Lois Lane as the Daily Planet's star investigative reporter. Clark plays it close to the vest and digs up as much information as possible concerning the recent activity of Intergang. However, there is still the matter of Lex Luthor to contend with. Politically and financially ruined, Luthor feels betrayed by the very city he helped to build. He embarks upon an ambitious plan to destroy Metropolis using technology culled from Superman's home planet – Krypton. Stockpiling all of the world's Kryptonite, and using a relic known as the Sunstone, Luthor manages to resurrect an ancient Kryptonian warship that once belonged to the alien terrorist General Zod. To keep Metropolis' heroes distracted long enough for him to complete his work, he arranges for various villains to spring up all across town, to wreak as much havoc as possible. Throughout the chaos, Superman's powers slowly return and he prepares for a final face-to-face confrontation with his arch nemesis.

History
This storyline ran through four issues of Action Comics and four issues of Superman (Volume 1) in 2006. All issues were written by Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns, with artwork by Pete Woods. Terry and Rachel Dodson provided the cover illustrations with coloring assists from Alex Sinclair. Brad Anderson provided the interior coloring. The story is a One Year Later tie-in and chronologically takes place following the events of the fifty-two issue weekly maxi-series 52. Up, Up, and Away expands upon plotlines that originally developed during the World's Finest story-arc in the first six issues of Superman/Batman as well as the final issue of the 2006 summer-crossover event, Infinite Crisis. During Infinite Crisis, Superman and the Superman of Earth-Two stopped the threat of Superboy-Prime by dragging him through the center of the red sun, Rao. The red solar radiation robbed all three heroes of their powers, but they were able to successfully defeat Superboy-Prime. The massive exposure to radiation completely robbed Superman of his powers, and it has taken him the better part of a year before he begins to regain them.

Superman issue numbers 650 and 651 were both reprinted with black-and-white variations of their original covers. Action Comics #837 was likewise reprinted, with an alternately colored cover. All eight chapters of the storyline were collected in the Superman: Up, Up, and Away trade paperback.

Trivia

 * Up, Up, and Away borrows heavily from plotlines that were introduced in the 2006 feature film Superman Returns.

Related Articles

 * Avenue of Tomorrow
 * Green Lantern Ring
 * Intergang
 * Stryker's Island Penitentiary
 * Sunstone