You're so confusing, it's driving me crazy! One minute, you're a bumbling clod-- With all the grace of a hippo in orthopedic shoes! And the next, you're Prince Charming... And I'm so stunned by your personality-change I get mushy over you! And what's the point, anyway? We both know you're just a consolation prize to me-- Because I can't have the man I really love-- Superman! Who are we kidding, Clark? Our relationship isn't honest... And that's not fair to you. Or me. 
Superman #310 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1977.
Synopsis for "The Man with the Kryptonite Heart"
Superman intervenes during a daytime robbery of S.T.A.R. Labs by SKULL. One of the SKULL agents is crushed by debris after a laser bolt ricochets off of Superman's body and causes a roof to collapse. After Superman departs with the captured SKULL agents, Albert Michaels, executive director of S.T.A.R. Labs, is shown to be a spy secretly working for SKULL.
Clark is surprised to learn from Steve Lombard that Lois plans to leave Metropolis to work for a Midwest paper. Steve tells Clark that he "borrowed" a minicam so he can prove himself to be capable of investigative journalist by discovering the industrial spy at S.T.A.R. Labs. Steve follows an ambulance, driven SKULL agents and transporting a strange "coffin", from S.T.A.R. to the Monroe Sports Arena. Entering, Steve is quickly stunned and captured by a robot. Morgan Edge discovers from a technician that Steve has stolen a camera and, due to the interrupted camera feed, appears to be in trouble.
At Clark's apartment, Lois complains about Clark's erratic personality changes and that their relationship exists only because she cannot have Superman, the man she really loves. When Morgan Edge calls Clark to alert him the Steve has been captured, Clark traps Lois in his bathroom, to prevent her from seeing him change to Superman -- he imagines that it will take only a few minutes to free Steve.
Arriving at the sports arena, Superman is attacked by Roger Corben, the SKULL member Superman thought had been killed in the earlier robbery. Corben reveals that he is the brother of John Corben the original Metallo and wants revenge on Superman for his brother's death. He has been transformed by SKULL into a cyborg like his brother, this time powered a Synthetic Kryptonite heart.
The story cuts away to a conversation between the SKULL High Commander and agent Helvig. Helvig reveals that with the help of Michaels they have obtained the man-made elements that were used to create the synthetic kryptonite. The accident during the S.T.A.R. robbery that crushed Corben's body was actually staged, so SKULL could perform the operation to make him into the new Metallo cyborg.
Returning to the ongoing battle, the weakened Superman destroys Metallo's flying jet-scooter, triggering a fear-induced heart-attack in Metallo that reduces the kryptonite radiation enough for Superman to capture him. However, Metallo triggers a self-destruct button and apparently dies. Superman captures the remaining SKULL agents, but leaves Steve hanging suspended from the stadium goal posts as punishment for stealing the minicam.
Lois is enraged with Clark when he returns, since she has been trapped in his bathroom for six hours. In the police morgue, Metallo rises, revealing that his self-destruction was a fake.
Appearing in "The Man with the Kryptonite Heart"
Featured Characters:
- Superman (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Albert Michaels (Flashback and main story)
- Lois Lane
- Morgan Edge
- Steve Lombard
Antagonists:
- Metallo (Roger Corben) (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
- SKULL (Flashback and main story)
- High Commander (Unnamed) (Single appearance)
- Helvig (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Bob Woodward (Mentioned only)
- Carl Bernstein (Mentioned only)
- WGBS Employee (Unnamed) (Single appearance)
- Metallo (John Corben) (Mentioned only)
- Metropolis Police Department (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Metropolis
- S.T.A.R. Labs
- Galaxy Communications Building
- Monroe Sports Arena
- 344 Clinton Street
- Clark Kent's Apartment
- Police Morgue
- Two S.T.A.R. Labs (Unknown Locations) (Mentioned only)
- Krypton (Mentioned only)
Items:
- Canister of Radioactive Man-Made Elements (Which makes up the components for Synthetic Kryptonite)
- Einsteinium (Mentioned only)
- Nobelium (Mentioned only)
- Element (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- WGBS Minicam
- SKULL Robot
- Synthetic Kryptonite
Vehicles:
- Metallo's Jet-Scooter (First appearance)
Notes
- Reprinted in The Best of DC #54
- Lois Lane is considering leaving Metropolis for one of Galaxy Communications holdings in the Midwest.
Trivia
- Roger Corben is the younger brother of the late John Corben - the first Metallo. The first Metallo first appeared in Action Comics #252.
- Albert Michaels will soon become the first villain to adopt the identity of the Atomic Skull.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Superman Recommended Reading
- Action Comics (Volume 1)
- Action Comics (Volume 2)
- Adventures of Superman (Volume 1)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 1)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 2)
- Batman/Superman: World's Finest (Volume 1)
- DC Comics Presents (Volume 1)
- Superman (Volume 1)
- Superman (Volume 2)
- Superman (Volume 3)
- Superman (Volume 4)
- Superman (Volume 5)
- Superman/Batman (Volume 1)
- Superman Confidential (Volume 1)
- Superman: Son of Kal-El (Volume 1)
- Superman: The Man of Steel (Volume 1)
- Superman: The Man of Tomorrow (Volume 1)
- Superman/Wonder Woman (Volume 1)
- World's Finest (Volume 1)
