Superman (Volume 2) #2 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 2) with a cover date of February, 1987. It was published on October 21, 1986.
Synopsis for "The Secret Revealed!"
Lex Luthor has asked his researchers to find out about anyone who may have a connection to Superman. Amanda Marie McCoy discovers that a woman named Lana Lang has been seen in background photographs at known Superman appearances. Luthor has a team of people investigate the Lang angle.
One of Luthor's top scientists, Sydney Happersen, distracts Luthor and shows him the confined body of Metallo. He indicates that the mineral enclosed within Metallo's chest emits radiation that appears harmful to Superman. Luthor viciously tears the green rock from Metallo's chest, leaving the cyborg screaming in pain.
Meanwhile, Luthor has simultaneously begun investigating the background of Clark Kent. He sends two thugs, Jenner and Breen, to Smallville to ransack the Kent house. As luck would have it, they come upon Lana Lang and bring her back to Metropolis.
Later, Luthor uses his influence and power to force Amanda McCoy to come to dinner with him. Their candlelit evening is disrupted, however, when he learns that his men have found Lana Lang.
Luthor's team keeps Lana drugged for three days, torturing her for information concerning Superman, but she doesn't reveal anything. They eventually allow her to escape, and Lana drags herself to Clark Kent's apartment. Clark finds her and goes berserk when he learns what has happened. He flies to the Lexcorp building and bursts into Luthor's penthouse.
Luthor, however, has been expecting Superman. He has taken a piece from Metallo's kryptonite heart and fashioned it into a stone set inside a ring. Superman is powerless against it, and Luthor gleefully kicks him out of his office, threatening to have him arrested. He whispers into Superman's ear a confession concerning Lana Lang.
Superman flies back to Smallville to check on his parents. Everything is fine, but Martha comments that a scrapbook she made filled with pictures of Superman's exploits has been stolen. They have no idea that it was Luthor's men who staged the robbery.
Back in Metropolis, Amanda McCoy finishes extrapolating all known information concerning Superman. Feeding the data into a computer, the results reveal that Clark Kent is Superman. Luthor literally doesn't believe his ears. Refusing to believe that someone such as Superman could ever find satisfaction masquerading as a normal human, he fires Amanda on the spot.
Appearing in "The Secret Revealed!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Lex Luthor
- Metallo (John Corben)
- Sydney Happersen (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Amanda Marie McCoy (First appearance)
- Gretchen Kelley (First appearance)
- Breen (Single appearance; dies)
- Jenner (Single appearance; dies)
Locations:
Items:
- Green Kryptonite
- Kryptonite Ring (First Post-Crisis appearance)
- Kent Family Scrapbook
Vehicles:
- None
Notes
- This issue falls between Action Comics #585 and Adventures Of Superman #425.
- First appearance of Sydney Happersen, Lex Luthor's go-to guy.
- First appearance of Gretchen Kelley, Lex Luthor's personal physician. Gretchen Kelley appears next in Superman (Volume 2) #13.
- First appearance of Jonathan Kent, Martha Kent and Lana Lang in this title. They were last seen in Man of Steel #6.
- First appearance of Amanda Marie McCoy, one of Lex Luthor's researchers. She appears next in Adventures of Superman #448.
- First Post-Crisis appearance of the Kryptonite Ring, one of Lex Luthor and Batman's most famous weapon.
- Metallo appears next in Adventures of Superman #441.
- Green Kryptonite was first seen in Superman (Volume 2) #1.
- Jenner and Breen are killed off-panel in this issue.
- This issue is reprinted in:
Trivia
- Byrne satirizes Luthor's monologue in What The--?! #2.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Readers who enjoy John Byrne's revisionist Superman may also enjoy reading the six-issue origin relaunch, The Man of Steel, series, as well as the three satellite "World of..." mini-series, World of Krypton, World of Metropolis and World of Smallville.
- Readers who enjoy stories revolving around Lex Luthor, may also enjoy Lex Luthor - The Unauthorized Biography.