The doorway to hell is an entrance, not an exit. Get used to that... You're going to be here for an eternity!
- — Blaze
Superman (Volume 2) #47 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 2) with a cover date of September, 1990.
Synopsis for "Lives in the Balance"
The fight for Jimmy and Jerry's souls continues in Hell, and Blaze sends her army of devils to attack Superman. The man of steel manages to beat them, but his powers are getting weaker due to the magic present in that realm. Blaze then sends Skyhook's soul to attack him.
Back in Metropolis, Jose Delgado meets the Black Racer, who tells him to confront Angelica Blaze in her human. The racer teleports him to a warehouse, where he overhears the two men who shot Jerry and Jimmy. He follows them to the Blaze's Nightclub, which they plan to set on fire. The pyromancers start the fire, but they are trapped inside the nightclub, and Gangbuster breaks in and frees the people inside. One of the criminals dies during the fire, but the other one is killed by Blaze, and his soul is taken to Hell.
In the hospital, Lex Luthor visits Jerry White. Years ago, Lex had an affair with Alice Spencer -before she married Perry White- while Perry spent two years reporting from the southeast in Asia. Their affair ended when Perry returned to Metropolis, but genetic tests confirmed that Jerry was Lex's biological son. The sudden revelation seems to affect Perry, who had some suspicion about it but was afraid to ask. Perry punches him out of the room, while Alice shockingly discovers the word "BLAZE" being carved in Jerry's body.
Back in Hell, Blaze marks Jerry's body while Superman fights Skyhook. The creature manages to harm Superman, corrupting him and making him turn into one of his monsters. But Superman fights the corruption and frees himself from his hold. With Blaze gone to attend to the situation in the nightclub, Superman frees Jimmy. But as they try to free Jerry, Blaze takes control of his soul.
Appearing in "Lives in the Balance"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Alice White
- Black Racer
- Jerry White
- Jimmy Olsen
- Jose Delgado
- Perry White
- Tammy Brown
Antagonists:
- Blaze
- Intergang
- Skagg
- Lex Luthor
- Skyhook
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Hell
- Earth
- Metropolis
- Metropolis General Hospital
- Blaze's Club
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is set after Action Comics #656 and continues in Adventures of Superman #470.