- Tiny super-powered Kandorians as untraceable smart bullets... Who in Kandor hates him this much?
Batman/Superman #18 is an issue of the series Batman/Superman (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 2015. It was published on January 21, 2015.
Synopsis for "Sacrifice"
It is the day of Carlos Gutierrez' funeral, after he was killed by an unknown assassin who targeted him simply because he was dressed in a Superman costume at the children's ward of the hospital. Though he wishes he could, Superman cannot attend, because he needs to find the killer who is still at large. Though it is not fully repaired since the attack by Brainiac, Superman attempts to ask the Fortress of Solitude's repository of Kryptonian knowledge for help. However, Supergirl tackles him away from the terminal, warning that if he breaks the Fortress all over again by forcing it to work before it's ready, it may not survive. Superman reminds that there are lives at stake, but Kara reminds him that there are Kryptonian lives at stake too. The Bottle City of Kandor is lost in the Phantom Zone, and only the Fortress can help them find it. Sighing, Superman promises to save them all.
Suddenly, the killer's laughter rings in their minds, and Superman angrily calls out for him to confront them. Calling on a magically concealed frequency, Batman suggests that they use the fact that most of Clark's closest friends are nearly invulnerable as an advantage, and seek to narrow down at whom the killer will strike next. If this killer - like the Joker - wants to break Superman's heart, he'll be trying to figure out who Clark really loves. And Batman already knows that's Lois Lane. Lois interjects on the communicator that there is no use in Superman trying to deny the secret romance they've had. This fills Superman with confusion until he realizes that the call is not magically concealed at all. This is part of Bruce's plan. He is using Lois as bait. Even if Batman can set up tracers to locate the source of the projectile that would kill Lois - he can't figure out how to stop it from killing her, so Superman speeds toward their location worriedly. As Batman picks up Superman and Supergirl coming in from the North, he picks up something else coming from the east, and apologizes to Lois for dragging her into it. She responds that she would have kicked his ass if he hadn't.
Superman arrives in time to stop the bullet, but when he puts his hand in its path, it moves around it, and returns to its course - which is not Lois at all. It's Batman. Superman speeds to his friend's side, and learns that Batman has laced his body armour with Kryptonite as a precaution - but it may have saved his life. When he examines the bullet hole, he finds not a bullet at all - but a dead Kandorian, killed by the Kryptonite.
Superman and company take the man to the Ant Farm for study by Dr. Ray Palmer, after laying the Kandorian to rest, Superman explains that he has learned the man's identity was Kan Ko, the city's Chief Wellness Officer. He does not appear to have been the kind of man who would hate anyone enough to try to kill them. The Kandorians had been in comas since Krypton's destruction so they've been awakened and either convinced or forced into this. Lois suggests that it might be Brainiac, given that he captured Kandor in the first place. Batman reminds that Brainiac doesn't fit the profile of the killer. Frustrated, Supergirl decides that it is more important to find Kandor itself. Dr. Palmer offers his help in that.
Ray uses the data from Batman's trackers to pinpoint the Black Sand Desert in Iceland as the location of a strange circle of melted glass nearly two miles across. This glass absorbs light and foils radar and cameras - but he has at least been able to see that in the centre of it lies a bottle not unlike that which Kandor exists inside. If it is Kandor, he suggests an infiltration mission, rather than an assault. They don't know what's going on in Kandor, but surely, it's pretty bad.
Appearing in "Sacrifice"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Kandorians
- Tali Zar
- Kan Ko (Dies)
- Brainiac (Mentioned only)
Other Characters:
- Carlos Gutierrez (Appears only as a corpse)
- Krypto (On a TV or computer screen)
- Joker (Flashback only)
- Batgirl (Flashback only)
- Jason Todd (Flashback only)
- Steel (On a TV or computer screen)
- Lana Lang (On a TV or computer screen)
- Wonder Woman (On a TV or computer screen)
- Zatanna (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Metropolis
- Daily Planet (On a TV or computer screen)
- Fortress of Solitude
- Iceland
- New York
- Catskills
- Ant Farm
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Batman/Superman: Siege.
- The Kryptonian text on the computer in the Fortress of Solitude says "Searching all known enemies of Superman."
See Also