- How could Superman not miss me? How could he not wonder where I was? How could he not... care. He didn't care.
Action Comics #975 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 2017. It was published on March 8, 2017.
Synopsis for "Superman: Reborn, Part 2"
Superman and Lois fly across Metropolis in search for the human Clark Kent, holding him responsible for Jon's disappearance. Upon reaching the human Clark's apartment, Superman and Lois search for clues that might lead them to culprit. Lois finds candy and sugary foods in the kitchen and says that the place might as well inhabited by a six-year-old. Then, the human Clark appears right before Lois, and angry Superman demands Clark to return Jon safe and sound. Clark reveals he took Jon because he thought Superman liked his son better than him, then he kicks Superman away and demands to know why Superman did not come to save him.
Superman is confused by the human Clark's statement, to which the human Clark says that he tried to help Superman with his secret identity problem, while Superman did not help him. The human Clark tricked himself into believing he really was Clark Kent. Wanting Superman to play a game with him, the human Clark suddenly assumes the form of Superman's other enemies, such Lex Luthor, Brianiac, Doomsday and Mongul, all the while demanding Superman to uncover his real name. Superman realizes who the human Clark really is: Mr. Mxyzptlk.
Once the charade is done, Mxyzptlk says that he took Jon because he thought that, since Superman no longer wanted to play with him, maybe Jon would. Superman angrily demands Mxyzptlk to return his son but Mxyzptlk only taunts him and disappears, leaving Superman and Lois alone in the apartment. To make matters worse, Mxyzptlk erases Lois' memory of Jon as another way to demoralize Superman.
Appearing in "Superman: Reborn, Part 2"
Featured Characters:
- Superman (Pre-Flashpoint) (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Lois Lane-Kent (Pre-Flashpoint) (Flashback and main story)
Antagonists:
- Mister Mxyzptlk/"Clark Kent" (Pre-Flashpoint) (Real identity revealed)
- Bizarro (Pre-Flashpoint) (As an illusion only)
- Brainiac (Pre-Flashpoint) (As an illusion only)
- Cyborg Superman/Hank Henshaw (Pre-Flashpoint) (As an illusion only)
- Doomsday (Pre-Flashpoint) (As an illusion only)
- Lex Luthor (Pre-Flashpoint) (As an illusion only)
- Mongul (Pre-Flashpoint) (As an illusion only)
- Parasite/Rudy Jones (Pre-Flashpoint) (As an illusion only)
Other Characters:
- Imps (As merchandise only)
- Jon Kent (Pre-Flashpoint) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Jonathan Kent (In a photograph only) (Cameo)
- Martha Kent (In a photograph only) (Cameo)
- Unicorns (As an illusion only) (Cameo)
Locations:
- Earth 0
- Earth (Flashback and main story)
- United States of America
- New York
- Hamilton County (Flashback only)
- Smith Farm (Flashback only)
- Metropolis
- 344 Clinton Ave.
- Daily Planet (Cameo)
- Hamilton County (Flashback only)
- New York
- United States of America
- Earth (Flashback and main story)
Items:
- Lex Luthor's Warsuit
- Mister Mxyzptlk's Hat
Concepts:
Synopsis for "The Man in the Purple Hat"
Mr. Mxyzptlk has taken Jon into an alternate dimension, where tells Jon about the fun he used to have with Superman. Jon wants to go home and return with his parents, but Mxyzptlk instead tells him about his own disappearance.
Mxyzptlk was trying to play with Superman, as always, until suddenly, he was taken into another dimension by Mr. Oz, who proclaimed to have business with Superman and Mxyzptlk was not allowed to intervene. Oz had trapped Mxyzptlk in a dimension that nullified his powers and had already dismissed him as unnecessary chaos in Superman's existence. Mxyzptlk claimed his friends from the fifth dimension would come and save him, to which Oz replied that beings from the fifth dimension are immortal and they would not be likely to notice Mxyzptlk's absence for millennia.
As Oz left his prisoner, Mxyzptlk claimed Superman would come and save him and all he had to do to is wait for the Man of Steel's inevitable rescue. Time passed, however, and Superman did not come to save Mxyzptlk, who had begun to consider the possibility that Superman had lost interest in him. Growing impatient, Mxyzptlk remembered all the fun he had with Superman in all the infinite universes that exist beyond this one, so he decided to escape on his own. He says his own name backwards several time until he finally manages to escape into Metropolis.
Once he reached Metropolis, Mxyzptlk realized that Superman is dead, so he assumes Clark Kent's physical appearance and casts a spell on himself in order to assimilate Clark's memory. That way, he could prevent Oz from recapturing him and help Superman with his secret identity problem. Mxyzptlk, under the guise of Clark, went to investigate why did Superman had not come to save him and he found it: he had a family of his own, a family that had no place for Mxyzptlk.
Mxyzptlk explains to Jon that he kidnapped him in order to get Superman's attention, and Jon says that maybe his father thought that Mxyzptlk had left his childish habits behind and had finally grown up; a notion that Mxyzptlk laughs at, claiming he will always be a child at heart. Now, Mxyzptlk wants to play a game with Jon, a game that will allow the boy to return home if he wins. Jon has to choose between an infinite number of doors; one of the doors contains the way home. Mxyzptlk even gives him a few hints in how to choose the correct answers. Jon indeed chooses the right door and reaches home, only to realize that Mxyzptlk has tricked him; instead of returning home, he is back to where he started. Mxyzptlk then sets out to play more games with Jon, whether Jon likes it or not.
Appearing in "The Man in the Purple Hat"
Featured Characters:
- Mister Mxyzptlk/"Clark Kent" (Pre-Flashpoint) (Flashback and main story) (Impersonates Clark Kent)
Supporting Characters:
- Jon Kent (Pre-Flashpoint) (Revealed to be alive) (Flashback and main story)
Antagonists:
- Mister Oz (Flashback only)
- Superman (Pre-Flashpoint) (Flashback only)
Other Characters:
- Bat-Mite (Pre-Flashpoint) (Flashback only) (Final appearance) (Cameo)
- Bizarro-Mister Mxyzptlk (Earth 29) (First appearance; unnamed) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Bizarro-Superman (Earth 29) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Clark Kent (Deceased) (In a photograph only) (Cameo)
- Lois Lane (Earth-154) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Lois Lane (Pre-Flashpoint) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Miss Gsptlsnz (Pre-Flashpoint) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Mister Mxyzptlk (Earth 12) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Mister Mxyzptlk (Earth-154) (Single appearance) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Mister Mxyzptlk (Lego Batman) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Perry White (Flashback only) ì
- Superman (Earth 12) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Superman (Earth-154) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Superman (Earth-One) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Superman (Lego Batman) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Superman, Jr. (Earth-154) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Jimmy Olsen (Mentioned only)
- Krypto (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Post-Flashpoint Multiverse
- Earth 0/Prime Earth (Flashback and main story)
- Arctic Circle
- Fortress of Solitude (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- United States of America
- Metropolis (Flashback only)
- 344 Clinton Ave.
- Clark Kent's Apartment (Flashback only)
- Daily Planet (Flashback only)
- Central Plaza (Mentioned only)
- 344 Clinton Ave.
- Metropolis (Flashback only)
- Arctic Circle
- Earth 12 (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Earth 29 (Flashback only)
- Htrae (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Fifth Dimension
- Smith Farm (Flashback and main story)
- Lego Batman (First appearance; unnamed) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Mister Oz's Lair (Flashback only)
- Negative Space Prison (Real name revealed) (Flashback only) (First full appearance)
- Earth 0/Prime Earth (Flashback and main story)
- Pre-Crisis Multiverse
- Pre-Flashpoint Multiverse
- New Earth (Flashback only)
- Metropolis (Flashback only)
- Daily Planet (Flashback only)
- Metropolis (Flashback only)
- Fifth Dimension (Mentioned only)
- New Earth (Flashback only)
Items:
- Batsuit (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Globe of Revelation (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Mister Oz's Staff (Flashback only)
- Mister Mxyzptlk's Hat (Flashback and main story)
Concepts:
Notes
- This is the secondpart of the "Superman: Reborn" storyline.
- The story continues from Superman (Volume 4) #18 and continues in Superman (Volume 4) #19.
- "Clark Kent" is revealed to be Pre-Flashpoint Mister Mxyzptlk in disguise. The Imp alters the timeline of Prime Earth in order to "erase" Jon Kent's existence.
- The "Man in the Purple Hat" story takes place just after the events of the first story.
- Mxyzptlk's flashback takes place between the events of DCU: Rebirth #1 and Superman (Volume 4) #1.
Trivia
- Mister Mxyztplk states he is the only one who can pop from world to world and depending on the reality his name is pronounced and even spelled differently.
- He also hints that Mxyztplk is another one of his identities.
See Also