This has been a grueling couple of years for the Man of Steel. First Superman "died" after an epic battle with Doomsday. Then he returned to life with no powers. He finally got his superstrength back, of course, but had another battle with Doomsday, during which he finally destroyed the creature - but broke an arm in the process.
Soon afterward, the last survivor of Krypton became "overcharged." After finally expending his excess energy, he was hounded by a childhood enemy, powered by Kryptonite, who knew his secret identity and who threatened his friends and family.After finally preserving his life as Clark Kent, Superman ended up on a planet with countless monsters from the "Alien" movies. With ebbing powers from a lack of sunlight, he was nearly blinded, and an Alien egg was forced into his stomach. Only reaching sunlight in the nick of time saved the day.
Now Superman is going on galactic trial for supposedly destroying Krypton. This latest 12-part story line begins in "Superman: The Man of Steel," issue No. 50, now on sale. The tale continues in all five Superman comics for almost three months.
"The Trial of Superman" begins after a battle with the Parasite, in which Superman is left drained and nearly powerless. He's easily captured by an intergalactic tribunal, found guilty and imprisoned with many of the galaxy's most evil criminals. He's also forced to witness the execution of one of his worst enemies. Then, when several other criminals break free and flee, the Man of Steel is dragged along - since he's chained to one of them.
The escape leads to the nebula where Krypton exploded, an area of space filled with deadly Kryptonite.
In the meantime, Alpha Centurion, a new superhero, becomes guardian of Metropolis and begins to woo Lois Lane, making a "Zero Hour" alternative time line seem to come true. Soon, the Centurion and others of Superman's friends - Supergirl, Superboy, Steel and the Eradicator - head for space to search for him.
Several surprise guest stars - heroes and villians - are promised in the series.
- In a related development, DC Comics has unveiled its biggest new villain since the Anti-Monitor with Neron. Earlier this month, the "Underworld Unleashed" crossover series began with tie-ins to more than 50 comic books that will continue over the next two months.
The story is centered on a three-issue "Underworld Unleashed" miniseries.
Many superheroes find they can stop villains supercharged by Neron only by making their own special deals with the master evildoer.