- I said-- stop! You're tearing me-- APART!!?
- — Superman
Action Comics #534 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1982.
Synopsis for "Superman: Two for the Death of One!"
The Mole burrows a tunnel below Metropolis and starts to dig through the steel beams supporting the Daily Planet. Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White sense the building shaking and realize the Mole is carrying out his threats. Clark Kent instantly slips away, changes to Superman and flies off to stop the Mole, but all of sudden his body starts fading. Superman gets pulled in the time-stream and tossed out in the Medieval England.
Superman sees hundreds of people slaving around a strange disk-like construction which he's being drawn towards. Superman finally crashes into the ground, and listening to the villagers talking he gleans he's landed in 14th Century England, and Satanis is ruling over that people. Superman is trying to reason with the villagers when Satanis shows up, confirming he brought Superman there and stating he needs his invulnerable body to gain ultimate power. Superman lunges but flies through Satanis. Superman is wondering where the real Satanis is when his enemy casts a spell after another until Superman is captured, knocked unconscious and brought to Satanis' castle.
Superman is brought to Satanis presence. The sorcerer still intends to rule all time, even though he is still weakened after their last meeting when his wife, Syrene plunged the Runestone of Merlin into the past.[1] Satanis and Syrene chased each other through time, but Syrene cast a spell which got Satanis trapped by his namesake. The Devil was willing to strike a bargain, though, and sent Satanis further into the past. Satanis landed on that village, nearly dead. He was nursed back to health by the villagers, and annoyed because they had seen his weakened state, he killed them.
Superman feels incensed, but he's held in place by Satanis' paralyzing spell. Then Satanis points out at the disk-shaped tower where the Runestone is being drawn to right now. When the gem is caught, Satanis casts a spell to make its powers filter through Superman. Superman feels its power pulling his body apart, but Satanis doesn't care. He expects Superman's body can withstand the gem's power long enough for him absorbing it. Though, when he is going to touch Superman, he's repelled backwards by a force-shield.
Syrene appears and declares she isn't relinquishing her father's gem without a fight. Satanis and Syrene magic-duel over power-charged Superman's body and accidentally pull him apart into two separate Supermen.
Appearing in "Superman: Two for the Death of One!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Lois Lane (Cameo)
- Jimmy Olsen (Cameo)
- Perry White (Cameo)
Antagonists:
- The Mole (Cameo)
- The Mole's Assistant (Unnamed) (Cameo)
- Lord Satanis (Flashback and main story)
- Ground Warrior (Single appearance)
- Tree (Single appearance)
- Dragon
- Syrene (Flashback and main story)
- Snakes (Flashback only)
- Ambra (Mentioned only)
- Lord of Hell (Flashback only)
Other Characters:
- Rao (Mentioned only)
- 14th Century Villagers
- 6 Villagers (Dies in flashback)
- Smokey the Bear (Mentioned only)
- Oliver J. Dragon (Mentioned only)
- 3 Horseback Riders (Cameo) (Flashback only)
- Azar (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- 1982
- Metropolis
- Galaxy Communications Building
- Underground
- Metropolis
- 14th Century
Items:
- Jimmy Olsen's Signal Watch (Superman previously took it from Jimmy to repair it) (Mentioned only)
- Kryptonite (Mentioned only)
- Ground Warrior's Axe
- Runestone of Merlin
- Device to capture the Runestone (Unnamed) (First appearance)
Vehicles:
- The Mole's Boring Machine
Concepts
Synopsis for "Air Wave: Air-Wave's Close Encounter!"
Air Wave discovers an alien invader, whose partner turns out to be one of his teachers in disguise.
Appearing in "Air Wave: Air-Wave's Close Encounter!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Karen Peterson (Final appearance)
Antagonists:
- Alien (Unnamed) (In dream sequence only)
- Mr. O'Riner (First appearance) (also) (First appearance as Agent Arrhnyr)
- Alien (Unnamed) (Phone call only)
Other Characters:
- Justice League of America (In dream sequence only)
- Firestorm (In dream sequence only)
- Green Lantern (In dream sequence only)
- Hawkman (In dream sequence only)
- Superman (In dream sequence only)
- Taylor High UFO Club Students (Unnamed) (Single appearance)
- Teen Titans (Mentioned only)
- Robin (Mentioned only)
- Johnny Carson (Mentioned only)
- Barbara Walters (Mentioned only)
- Ronald Reagan (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Space (In dream sequence only)
Items:
- Green Lantern Ring (In dream sequence only)
Vehicles:
- Alien's Spacecraft (In dream sequence only)
- Agent Arrhnyr's Spacecraft