Superman #308 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 1977. It was published on November 8, 1976.
Synopsis for "This Planet is Mine!"
Superman can't wrap his mind around Supergirl's declaration that there was never a planet named Krypton and both of them are mutants born on Earth to human parents. In order to emphasize her point, Supergirl starts breaking another display until Superman stops her. Both cousins start arguing again.
While they're distracted, the Protector comes around. Realizing he needs help to take on Superman, he takes advantage of Clark and Linda's argument to run away. Infuriated, Supergirl wants to track him down, but Superman thinks it's useless. Superman needs to be alone and flies off. Once he's gone, Supergirl pulls a comm device out and reports the plan seems to be working... and she prays it's the right thing.
Superman flies back to Metropolis and changes into Clark Kent before going inside his apartment. Lois Lane is waiting him inside, having just fixed his favorite dinner. She got jealous when Terri Cross hit on Clark, but then she decided to pursue Clark more aggressively. Clark is initially reluctant, but then he reconsiders: he resisted a romance not only because it would put Lois in danger but also because he considered himself an outsider. Now he knows the truth, maybe he should reconsider his stance and enjoy his dinner-date.
Meanwhile, Protector heads into a secret facility hidden in the Rocky Mountains to meet his mentally-unstable old partner Radion, the only survivor of a nuclear disaster that altered his body, giving him radioactive powers. Later Radion found Protector, taught him to develop his powers and swore him to secrecy. Radion remarks Protector revealing himself to the world and then seeking him out threatens his master plan. Protector replies it's Superman who he should be worried about.
Meanwhile, Professor Jasper Pepperwinkle makes a startling discovery as testing an experimental telescope.
The next morning, Clark Kent finds himself restless. After testing his Phantom Zone Projector, he decides Supergirl must be telling the truth. Superman's angry and grieving reaction is cut short when he hears a radio broadcaster reporting someone is attacking Hooley nuclear power station.
Superman arrives at the facility and is attacked by Radion right away. Radion manages to trap Superman in an energy sphere which greatly increases his atomic weight. Radion then declares he intends to overload the nuclear reactor and rule over the mutated humans that will survive the nuclear fallout. He planned to do it eventually, but Superman declaring war on Earth's environmental pollution forced him to act ahead of his schedule.
Superman, though, manages to stop the reactor's meltdown and break free. However, Radion runs away and Superman is too weak to follow him.
Superman flies back to his Fortress of Solitude. After pondering over his origins for a bit, he heads off and tracks Radion and Protector down. During the battle, Superman tricks Protector into becoming a reflecting surface and Radion into shooting his partner. Radion's blast knocks both mutans out.
Despite his victory, Superman isn't feeling happy. Maybe it's time to stop living a lie and give his life a new meaning. But which one?
Somewhere else, a group of persons are observing an alien fleet approaching planet Xonn. Usually, Superman would deal with that kind of threats, but maybe he'll not be interested in helping alien worlds out after they've caused him to abandon his Kryptonian heritage. Maybe their actions have doomed Xonn as well as Earth.
Appearing in "This Planet is Mine!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Lois Lane
- Frank Jackson (Cameo)
- Terri Cross (Mentioned only)
- Professor Jasper Pepperwinkle (Cameo) (Final appearance)
Antagonists:
- Radion (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
- The Protector (Final appearance) (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
- Kent Family
- Jonathan Kent (On a TV or computer screen) (Cameo)
- Martha Kent (On a TV or computer screen) (Cameo)
- Fred Danvers (Mentioned only)
- Jor-El (Statue only) (Destroyed)
- Lara Lor-Van (Statue only) (Destroyed)
- Police Department (Unnamed)
- The J'ai (Unnamed) (First appearance)
Locations:
- Earth
- Arctic Circle
- Fortress of Solitude
- Krypton Memorial Room
- Fortress of Solitude
- Metropolis
- 344 Clinton Street
- Clark Kent's Apartment
- Secret Closet
- Clark Kent's Apartment
- Observatory (Unnamed)
- 344 Clinton Street
- Niagara River
- Hooley Nuclear Power Station (Upstate)
- Rocky Mountains
- Sanctuary (Radion's Hideout)
- Top-Secret Experimental Installation (Unnamed) (Flashback only) (Destroyed)
- Smallville (Mentioned only)
- Arctic Circle
- Krypton (Destroyed)
- Space
- Xonn (On a TV or computer screen)
Items:
- Large Krypton Globe (Destroyed)
- Phantom Zone Projector
- Beef Bourguignon
Vehicles:
- Space-Going Warships
Notes
- Reprinted in Adventures of Superman: José Luis García-López.
- Continued from the previous issue and continues in the next.
Trivia
- This is the first issue of the series to feature the new DC Comics "bullet" logo. DC continued to use this standardized logo until 2005. The logo was designed by graphic artist, Milton Glaser.