Superman Vol 1 653



''' Up, Up, and Away! (Part VII of VIII) – Up in the Sky '''


 * "Today, Metropolis dies. And it was Krypton that built its doom."
 * --Lex Luthor

Summary
Volume: 1 Issue: 653 Month: August Year: 2006

Credits
Editor in Chief: Dan Didio Head Writer: Kurt Busiek Writers: Geoff Johns Cover Artists: Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson and Alex Sinclair Pencilers: Pete Woods Inkers: Pete Woods Colourists: Brad Anderson Editors: Nachie Castro and Matt Idelson

Synopsis
Cast of Characters:
 * Superman
 * Captain Marvel
 * Cyborg (Victor Stone)
 * Firestorm (Jason Rusch)
 * Flash (Jay Garrick)
 * Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)
 * Green Lantern (Alan Scott)
 * Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
 * Jimmy Olsen
 * Lois Lane
 * Perry White (behind the scenes)
 * Robin (Tim Drake)
 * Schuman
 * Stargirl
 * Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark)

Locations:
 * Metropolis
 * New Troy
 * Chez Joey's
 * Central Business District
 * Daily Planet
 * Jules Verne Extra-Terrestrial Museum

Items:
 * Sunstone
 * Kryptonian warship

First Appearances: No first appearances Final Appearances: No final appearances

Synopsis: Lex Luthor pilots an ancient Kryptonian warship made of Sunstone over the skies of Metropolis. Speaking through an amplifier, he brags to Superman of the Kryptonian genius involved in the engineering of such a miraculous specimen. He further denounces the citizens of Metropolis for turning their backs on him, citing that if he is going to go, he is taking Metropolis with him.

More crystal spires grow from the roots of Metropolis' soil, many of them taking the form of various offensive weapons including tanks and hover-crafts. Luthor commands all of the Sunstone fragments via remote from within his new starship. As the weapons begin randomly attacking various cultural centers, a phalanx of super-heroes, including Captain Marvel, Green Lantern, the JSA and the Teen Titans arrive to lend a hand. Luthor blocks their efforts by erecting a force field across all of New Troy island.

Superman scans the warship with his x-ray vision until he finds a knot of circuitry which makes up the ship's broadcasting hub. He fires twin bolts of heat vision that burrow through the Sunstone hull, burning out the circuit. With that, the remote weaponry ceases to function.

With Luthor momentarily distracted, Superman begins targeting various parts of the ship with his heat vision. Luthor has a contingency plan however, and activates an energy module which releases all of the stored Kryptonite radiation within the ship's hull.

Luthor reconfigures the shape of the vessel so that it resembles a giant, green crystalline robot. He begins firing blasts of Kryptonite radiation at Superman. Jimmy Olsen runs out into the street and deflects one of the deadly blasts with a garbage can lid. The radiation burns Jimmy's arm however, and Superman rushes him away from the scene.

Superman realizes that he must make an all-or-nothing gambit. Concentrating all of his energy on a single task, he launches himself like a bullet straight at the heart of the warship. Despite the presence of Kryptonite, he shatters through the hull and grabs Lex Luthor. Flying through the back of the machine, he launches himself high into the sky and out over the West River. The Kryptonite weakened him enough however, that his flight capabilities begin to wane. As the two combatants begin to fall from the sky, Luthor screams, "I hate you!"

Trivia

 * In this issue, it is revealed that the Kryptonian artifact was once the command ship of the Kryptonian fleet, led by Dru-Zod. Dru-Zod is more commonly known as General Zod, although Superman remarks that Zod once held the rank of Admiral. This historical notation contradicts known Post-Crisis Kryptonian history however, as all Kryptonians (except for Superman) suffered a genetic defect which kept them bound to their planet. Leaving Krypton would automatically result in a Kryptonian's immediate death.

Recommended Readings

 * Action Comics
 * Infinite Crisis
 * Superman (Volume 1)
 * Superman (Volume 2)

Related Articles

 * Superman (Volume 1) cover art gallery
 * Superman image gallery
 * Superman appearances list
 * Superman quotes page
 * Captain Marvel appearances list
 * Cyborg appearances list
 * Firestorm appearances list
 * Flash (Jay Garrick) appearances list
 * Green Arrow appearances list
 * Green Lantern (Alan Scott) appearances list
 * Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) appearances list
 * Jimmy Olsen appearances list
 * Lex Luthor image gallery
 * Lex Luthor appearances list
 * Lex Luthor quotes page
 * Lois Lane image gallery
 * Lois Lane appearances list
 * Robin appearances list
 * Up, Up, and Away
 * Wonder Girl appearances list