Everything I owe to them. I saw this world through their eyes. I still do. This isn't a perfect world, they never claimed it was, I've never claimed it is. But that doesn't stop me from hoping for the best. I was raised on hope, Helspont, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. 
- — Superman
Superman (Volume 3) #8 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 3) with a cover date of June, 2012.
Synopsis for "The Outsider Option"
After her sister Lucy was stranded at the Metropolis Monorail station when Clark Kent failed to show up to get her, Lois Lane is more than a little apologetic. Lucy shrugs her abandonment off, but she seems inclined to think badly of Clark without ever having met him.
As if to demonstrate the perception of Clark Kent as a lazy layabout, Clark has fallen asleep at his desk. He dreams of a world where Superman is considered an alien invader, and the Justice League is called on to take him out. He wakes with some surprise to see that the headline on the article he's writing indicates that the Justice League is talking about taking down Superman. Jimmy Olsen looks over Clark's shoulder and comments that it was a bad idea to try to present a positive spin on Superman's actions to Perry; the editor-in-chief is on the warpath. Clark begins to realize that something is not right about what he's seeing.
Suddenly, Superman opens his eyes and realizes that he is actually in the Himalayan Mountains, with some kind of creature in his mouth. Spitting it out, he demands to know what reason Helspont could have had for hijacking his mind. Helspont explains that he gave Superman a glimpse of an inevitable future. Superman doubts that the events he saw are necessarily his future, but Helspont warns that he saw a similar future for himself when the Daemonites betrayed him.
He had served them unfailingly, but his success caused his masters to fear him, so they imprisoned him. Helspont believes that he can convince Superman to help him get vengeance on the Daemonites by recruiting the aid of earth's Metahumans. In exchange, he will give over the earth to Superman to do with as he pleases. Superman is characteristically disinterested.
Annoyed by Superman's resistance, Helspont demonstrates his power by sending a hefty boulder smashing Superman into the rock face. He warns that there are already factions on Earth with the intent to ensure that Superman does not overstep his bounds. Superman crashes through the rocks and warns that he never had nothing that has been said to him would make him go along with this plan. It was not he who adopted the earth, but the earth that adopted him. He was raised on hope, and Helspont's motivations are repugnant to him.
They battle across the mountain range, and Superman eventually sends Helspont hurtling back down into his base, creating a massive crater. When he investigates, Helspont is gone, and Superman suspects that he used teleportation technology. He hopes that the villain is simply gone, but fully expects to see him again.
Clark returns to his apartment in Metropolis to find Jimmy sitting outside his door. It seems Clark forgot that he had offered to let Jimmy stay with him while his own apartment is being fumigated for bedbugs. Jimmy comments that this is two for two times that Clark has forgotten something he promised. Lucy is apparently, pretty mad about being forgotten. Sighing, Clark opens the door and lets Jimmy inside.
Appearing in "The Outsider Option"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Helspont (Flashback and main story)
- Daemonites (Flashback only)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also