You know I can't ignore people in trouble. 
- — Superman
Superman: For the Animals #1 is a one-shot with a cover date of January, 2000. It was published on November 1, 1999.
Synopsis for "Dear Superman…"
Superman sits in his apartment with Lois Lane reading the mail that has been sent to him: many letters ask him to intervene and help someone across the globe. He is moved by 12 year-old Tommy Delaney's letter. He has moved to a new school and found a group of friends who have accepted him but one of them—Ballser—is an unstable bully who tortures animals. He bullies one member of their peer group into shooting a junkyard dog and the vet has to amputate his hind leg.
Tommy is afraid to tell his parents and the guidance counselor at school shrugs it off, so he approaches his science teacher, Mr. Mulligan but leaves his classroom without confessing for fear of getting in trouble. He meets up with the gang and Ballser has trapped a stray cat in a cardboard box and throws him off an overpass for fun. Superman intervenes to save the feline after saving workers at a nearby chemical plant fire, including Tommy's father.
After all the commotion with Tommy's family, he meets up with his friends again and finds them drowning a squirrel that Mr. Mulligan has been nursing back to health. He confronts Ballser in his room and says that if he doesn't confess, then Tommy will. Ballser lashes out violent, pushing Tommy against his dresser and a box filled with pet collars spills onto the floor: Ballser's psychopathic killing of animals has been going on for months.
The other boys feel guilt over their actions and confess to Mr. Mulligan. Ballser ends up in therapy and ceases harming animals. Donuts and Tommy volunteer at the local animal shelter to make up for what they had done. He ends his letter by saying that Superman's simple act of kindness inspired him; he is now drafting it with the same cat that Superman saved sitting in his lap.
As Tommy walks by the side of the road, Superman briefly appears to him and tells him that he's proud of him before flying off to avert another disaster.
Appearing in "Dear Superman…"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Lois Lane
- Tommy Delaney (First appearance)
Villains:
- Ballser (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Batman (Mentioned only)
- Brainiac (Mentioned only)
- Charlie (First appearance)
- Bob Delaney (First appearance)
- Mrs. Delaney (First appearance)
- Donuts (First appearance)
- Eightball (First appearance)
- Jeb (First appearance)
- Major (First appearance)
- Mr. Mulligan (First appearance)
Locations:
- United States of America
Notes
- Published in collaboration with the Doris Day Animal Foundation.
- After the story, a black-and-white version of the cover is included with a contest for readers aged eight to 12 to color it and provide a few sentences on how they would help animals if they had super-powers. The winner would get to appear in a comic with his pet, two first place runners-up got six passes to a Six Flags location, 50 second prizes received the book DC Comics Masks, 100 third prizes were awarded The Batman/Superman Movie on home video, and 150 fourth prizes got a "Comics for Compassion" baseball cap.
- The back cover includes contact information for several non-profits that work to help non-human animals, including the American Anti-Vivisection Society, Farm Sanctuary, In Defense of Animals, The Fund for Animals, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Ethical Science and Education Coalition, and the National Humane Education Society.