Action Comics #855 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 2007.
Synopsis for "Escape from Bizarro World: Part I"
Late at night, Bizarro breaks into the home of the Kents and abducts Jonathan. Martha alerts Superman and tells him what has happened. Superman goes to the Fortress of Solitude to consult with Jor-El. Superman tells him that he believes Bizarro took Jonathan to a blue sun star system, and wants to know how exposure to a blue sun might affect his powers. Jor-El tells him that blue solar radiation may enhance his abilities to an uncontrollable level. Superman takes a Kryptonian rocket and flies off to find Jonathan.
He tracks him to a cube-shaped version of Earth known as Htrae (Earth spelled backwards). He finds this world's version of Metropolis, which is a swampy, backwards wasteland of ruins and half-constructed buildings. He walks up to an effigy of the Daily Planet whereupon a horde of Bizarros, who mistake him for the real Bizarro leap out and attack him. They begin swarming him, and Superman finally bursts out from under a pile of them, knocking them all off of him. Bizarro himself emerges, shabbily dressed as Clark Kent. Thinking of nothing but his father, Superman charges at Bizarro, and blasts him with heat-vision, shredding his clothes, thus exposing his secret identity. This makes Bizarro angry and Bizarro angrily punches Superman across the planet. Their fight carries over to the "Semitari" and Bizarro attacks Superman again. He hauntingly tells Superman, "Father dead". Superman doesn't know what to make of this, but he has lost all patience with Bizarro. Bizarro gets attacked by other Bizarro citizens, and blasts them with his heat-breath. Superman attacks him again, and Bizarro belts him again. He blasts Superman with a strange, blue beam from his eyes, which causes for Bizarro duplicates to emerge from Superman's body. They too begin fighting him, and they overwhelm him, suffocating him with their capes. After a fight, they eventually defeat him. Bizarro and the duplicates bring the unconscious hero back to Bizarro's own Fortress where he has Jonathan held prisoner. Bizarro asks Jonathan for help with destroying the Bizarro World.
Appearing in "Escape from Bizarro World: Part I"
Featured Characters:
- Superman (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Jonathan Kent (Flashback and main story)
- Martha Kent
Antagonists:
- Bizarro
- Bizarros
- Bizarro Jimmy Olsen (First appearance)
- Bizarro Lois Lane (First appearance)
- Bizarro Perry White (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Ben Hubbard (Behind the scenes) (Flashback only)
- Spirit of Jor-El
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in:
- Htrae is referred to only as the Bizarro World in this issue. The denizens of Htrae were last seen fighting off a squad of Thanagarian war ships in Action Comics Annual #10.
- Reference is made to Ben Hubbard in this issue. Ben Hubbard is a farmer and neighbor to the Kents. Although he has been referenced in many comic issues, the Superman movies and even the Smallville television series, Ben Hubbard has never made an actual appearance.
- The flashback scenes from this issue take place when Clark is approximately nine or ten-years old.
Trivia
- The release of this issue coincided with the season seven premiere episode of Smallville, which featured Tom Welling in the duel role of Clark Kent as well as his imperfect duplicate Bizarro.
- The Bizarro version of the Daily Planet includes a sign at the entranceway which reads, "Is here... Dali Planit... dilivrees in reer or punch in face." Many of the letters in the sign are written backwards.
- Bizarro Perry White uses flame breath to ignite his cigar.
- Bizarro Jimmy Olsen walks around with a flash camera snapping pictures of himself.
- Bizarro's intended relationship with Jonathan Kent apes the dynamic shared between Superman and his holographic birth-father Jor-El.