Comics

"Action Comics" and "Superman" Comics Index

2013

ACTION COMICS

Action Comics #14
Cover date: January 2013
"Mission to Mars"/"Star Light, Star Bright..."
Writer: Grant Morrison/Sholly Fisch
Penciller: Rags Morales/Chris Sprouse
Inker: Mark Propst/Karl Story
Superman answers a distress call from the human colony on Mars. The colony is under attack by aliens that are using the colony's resources to terraform the planet. Superman recognizes them as Metalek. After the Man of Steel convinces Metalek to stop he reveals that the invaders are on the run from the Mulititude and that Earth is next on that race's list of planets to destroy. The only man to repel the Multitude was his father. The Multitude, looking like a hoard of angels, attacks. Superman can't fight them off and retreats back to the colony to figure out his next move. He theorizes that the Multitude is not a collection of entities but a single one with a million different points. If they can use the terraforming array to generate a Scallar Field into the Fifth Dimension they might be able to stop the Multitude. Using his own body as a conductor Superman and the researchers generate the field, which cause the "angels" to disappear. Superman finds what he thinks is a researcher, but it turns out to be Vyndktvx, the little man that has, for the past five years, been making deals with some of the villains Superman has faced. Vyn is there to conclude his business with Superman and after attacking the colonists he turns into a giant red devil. This is the moment Vyn has been waiting for./Superman and the Justice League fight off an inter-dimensional invasion before Superman has to fly off to meet with astronomers at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. Neil deGrasse Tyson joins the Man of Steel and informs him that they have found the exact location of Krypton, which is twenty-seven light years from the Earth. Superman is able to see, in vivid detail, his home planet die.

Action Comics #15
Cover date: February 2013
"Superman at the End of Days"/"And For My Next Trick"
Writer: Grant Morrison/Sholly Fisch
Penciller: Brad Walker and Rags Morales/Chris Sprouse
Inker: Andrew Hennessy and Mark Propst/Karl Story
Superman talks with his landlady, in reality a former princess from the fifth dimension, about his high school prom and then memories of an event that hasn't happened yet. She explains that Vyndktvx disturbs time like a shark does water when he moves in for the kill. Suddenly Superman is in the future and a group of villains are hunting him. Just as suddenly he is back with his landlady and they share a drink. She tells him of how Mister Mxyzptlk came to the land of Zrfff and cheered up the sad king. The king's daughter fell in love with him but another citizen of Zrfff, Vyndktvx, became jealous. Through his machinations the king died. Vyndktvx framed Mxy for the crime and forced him and the king's daughter, Clark's landlady, to hide on Earth. As she tells the story time folds around them until finally she is killed and in three different times Vyndktvx makes his final move./This is the story of how Mxyzptlk came to the land of Zrfff and charmed both the king and his daughter. She fell in love with the imp and even though an evil being made of spite tried to destroy them they managed to survive and escape to the three dimensional world. There they had a good life and gave birth to a child of music. Eventually Mxy's body died but somehow the baby holds the key to the imp's greatest escape act.

Action Comics #16
Cover date: March 2013
"The Second Death of Superman"/"Future Tense: Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes"
Writer: Grant Morrison/Sholly Fisch
Penciller: Brad Walker and Rags Morales/Chris Sprouse
Inker: Andrew Hennessy and Mark Propst/Karl Story
In 3030, Lightning Man, Saturn Woman, Cosmic Man and several other members of the Legion of Super-Heroes break into a secure facility and steal a time bubble. In current time (yesterday) Lois and Jimmy arrive at the Superman memorial statue to meet Clark Kent. They discuss the day Superman died before the Man of Steel crashes into the ground. He tells Lois and Jimmy to get to Metropolis General and find Mr. Triple X before it's too late. Xa-Du lands behind him and the two start fighting. Suddenly Susie, Lois' niece, attacks Superman mentally but Lois is able to talk her out of helping the little man Susie made the deal with. The fight continues until Vyndktvx appears and uses his magic to contact every person on the planet and offer a deal; he will give them life eternal in his forever kingdom as long as when Superman comes begging for help they say no. Krypto arrives just in time to stop the Anti-Superman army from killing Superman's spirit. The villains go to Vyndktvx for help but Krypto arrives and attacks the fifth dimensional devil. At Metropolis General Lois and Jimmy prevent Mister Triple X from being killed by an assassin and then wonder why Superman wanted them to come to Triple X's side. Two days previous Luthor and Vyndktvx stand before a machine that will serve as the ultimate anti-Superman weapon. An armored creature steps out of the machine and Lex demands that it be shut down. Vyndktvx tells him that it is much too late for that and adds that today is Super-Doomsday. In current time, the Legion materializes in Triple X's room and offers assistance as Super Doomsday asks Superman if he is ready to die./In the year 3013 the Legion prevents President-Elect Takaneda from being assassinated not once but twice from a man claiming to have seen the future. This man believes that Takaneda will plunge the universe into darkness leading most of the Legion to believe the man is delusional. This idea is only strengthened when Saturn Girl reads his mind and finds out he believes exactly what is he saying. The man dies and Takaneda thanks the Legion, adding that everything that happens from then on will be thanks to them. Later, as Takaneda drives away he assumes his true form as Universo and believes that the future looks bright indeed.

Action Comics #17
Cover date: April 2013
"Superman and the Fiend from Dimension 5"/"Goodbye"
Writer: Grant Morrison/Sholly Fisch
Penciller: Brad Walker and Rags Morales/Chris Sprouse
Inker: Andrew Hennesy, Mark Propst and Cam Smith/Karl Story
A young Clark Kent arrives at the scene where his adopted parents have had a terrible accident. Later at the hospital Jonathan Kent asks his son to take him home. From his death bed Jonathan tells Clark to use his powers to become a force for good. Later Clark walks away from the graves of Jonathan and Martha Kent. In the present Super Doomsday, controlled by Vyndktvx, savagely beats Superman again and again. Else-when three members of the Legion of Super-Heroes travel to various times in their last ditch effort to prevent Universo from rewriting the past. They arrive at the moment where Clark's parents were killed by Vyndktvx. Saturn Woman allows Martha to tell her husband she loves him one more time. Over the course of several years Vyndktvx manipulates events with Glenmorgan, tries to steal Superman's cape and then puts together a team of Superman's enemies to acts as an army of Superman-Haters. The battle between Superman and Super-Doomsday continues. Suddenly a voice calls for Super-Doomsday to step aside. Superman and Super-Doomsday turn to see Lex Luthor in a giant suit of armor. Lex insists that nobody kills Superman but Lex Luthor!/As Superman fights in the present a younger Clark Kent is getting ready for the prom in the past. Clark and Jonathan are talking on the porch when suddenly the Superman from the present is standing in the place of his younger counterpart. He and Jonathan talk about the future and Superman's adoptive father reminds him that Kents aren't quitters. They hug and suddenly a slightly confused younger Clark is back. Jonathan tells his son that change can be scary but if he never tries anything new he'll never know what he can do. He adds that whatever life brings Clark he should meet it with his head held high because Kents aren't quitters.

Action Comics #18
Cover date: May 2013
"Superman's Last Stand"/"Never-Ending Battle"
Writer: Grant Morrison/Sholly Fisch
Penciller: Rags Morales and Brad Walker/Chris Sprouse
Inker: Cam Smith and Andrew Hennessy/Karl Story
Lex Luthor lends Superman a hand against the Vyndktvx controlled Super-Doomsday but is taken out in short order. The Anti-Superman Army piles on Superman with one of their members causing the Man of Steel to hallucinate. The Legion, Lois and Jimmy are still at the hospital with Mxyzptlk when his son bursts in. He is actually a damaged edge of Vyndktvx who is carrying the shirt his mother was holding when she died. Mxyzptlk almost dies but Lightning Lad keeps him alive just long enough to tell them how to defeat Vyndktvx. Back at the fight Adam Blake arrives with a team known as the Wanderers and they take on the Anti-Superman Army leaving Superman free to face off against Vyndktvx. The demon from Dimension 5 grabs the Man of Steel who calmly reveals that he has had a lot of time to figure out how to beat him. At Superman's urging every man, woman and child says their names backwards which sends Vyndktvx back to the Fifth Dimension. The only problem is that the shell of Super-Doomsday goes into auto-destruct mode, but Superman is able to fly it into space where it explodes. Vyndktvx is arrested once he returns to the Fifth Dimension and Mxyzptlk and Princess Gzy marry and have children. The story of this is told to baby Kal-El by his mother Lara shortly before her husband comes in to tell her that Krypton is doomed. Mrs. Nyxly uses her last wish to help Superman save the team on Mars. Superman crashes back to Earth and is soon talking to Lois Lane on a cell phone as Clark Kent./In the year 2238 a small, alien boy witnesses an act of bullying of another alien near the Superman exhibit at the Noah D. Random Museum of Our Terran Heritage. The boy is so inspired by the various images and videos of the Man of Steel that he stands up to the bully, who backs down. The bully and his friends leave and the aliens celebrate. As they walk away the boy looks back at the Superman statue, which actually seems to wink at him.

Action Comics #19
Cover date: June 2013
"Hybrid" - Part 1
Writer: Andy Diggle
Penciller: Tony S. Daniel
Inker: Batt
One year ago: Clark Kent and Lois Lane are sharing a celebratory drink in a Quaraci hotel bar when Clark receives a message from one of his sources. He rushes off and changes into Superman to investigate a lead on illegal weapons being smuggled into the Middle Eastern country. In short order he is flanked by a group of men in armor and after Superman tries to reason with them the men attack. The battle is fierce but in the end Superman throws the last punch. He confronts one of the men but after Superman demands to know where they came from the man bursts into flame and dies. Elsewhere Lex Luthor meets with his psychoanalyst and asks the doctor to not hold back in her diagnosis. She tells him that because of the abuse he suffered as a child and the early rejection by parental authority he's developed a malignant narcissism that has made him a sociopath and psychotic megalomaniac. Luthor points out all of his accomplishments and insists that he is above simple psychotherapy and tells her to come up with a better diagnosis that better fits a man of his caliber. After the session Luthor meets with one of his minions and reveals that the attack on Superman in Quarac was set up to inject him with tiny nanites probes that would map his genetic structure and allow Luthor to attack the Man of Steel through his DNA. Lex put a tiny death machine inside Superman and the Man of Steel doesn't even know it. Three weeks later Superman is flying over Metropolis when Luthor's attack begins. Superman's hand is suddenly wracked with pain and he crashes to the ground. He tells the bystanders that have come to help to stay back because he doesn't know what's wrong. Superman looks at his hand and wonders if it is some kind of infection and by the looks of his hand and forearm that infection is spreading.

Action Comics #20
Cover date: July 2013
"Hybrid" - Part 2/"The World of Krypton" - Part 1: "Discovery"
Writer: Andy Diggle and Tony S. Daniel/Scott Lobdell
Penciller: Tony S. Daniel/Frank Hannah
Inker: Tony S. Daniel and Batt/Phillip Tan
After a training session Lex Luthor is informed that Superman is down. Luthor is disappointed by this because he wanted the alien to suffer first. He orders the body to be brought to him so he can show the people the truth about the space monster that has been hiding along them. Meanwhile a very not dead Superman regains consciousness in The Block. Dr. Veritas informs him that his super immune system threw out the infection that was killing him. He will be weak but otherwise fine. When Superman comes into contact with the tissue that fell off his hand it comes alive and attacks him. The fight is brutal but Superman finally manages to defeat the virus come to life by trapping it and himself in a room filled with red sun energy. The victory proves short lived as the virus mutates and become harmful to the public. Despite being weakened by the infection and the battle he just waged Superman races into the fray and takes the virus on. Meanwhile Lex Luthor dons a massive suit of armor and prepares to save Metropolis from the alien menace known as Superman./On the planet Krypton in the sea of Banzt Jor-el leads an expedition that discovers a form of life long since dead. Unfortunately this distracts him from a meeting of the Science Council, which causes much consternation on the part of his fellow council members and Lara Lor-Van, a cadet in the Kyrptonian military. She and an old war horse named Jax-Ur head into the meeting hall where Jax asks for her side arm. To the horror of everyone watching Jax-Ur kills a member of the Council while shouting, "For Krypton!"

SUPERMAN

Superman #14
Cover date: January 2013
"H'el on Earth": "Build a Parachute on Your Way Down"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Lois confronts Clark in his apartment about his quitting the Daily Planet. Clark confronts her about moving in with Jonathan. She notes he appears to have a relationship of his own (not knowing it's Superman and Wonder Woman she's referring to). Supergirl barges in, and Lois assumes she's a cosplayer. Clark bustles Lois out, dragging Supergirl in, and whisking her away to Centennial Park where he tells her off for nearly revealing his secret identity... and then realizes she's speaking English! H'el reveals himself, embracing a dubious Kal-El. H'el claims he was mentored by Jor-El to man a test spacecraft before building the vessel that carried Kal to Earth. Clark doesn't believe any of it. H'el offers up Kon-El as proof of his knowledge of Krypton. Superman won't allow Superboy to be killed and he and H'el clash. To fool Kara, H'el masquerades as Kal, knocking her out. He transports Superman and Superboy elsewhere, before leaving to return to Kara.

Superman #15
Cover date: February 2013
"H'el on Earth": "Because I'm a Scorpion"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Lex Luthor spends his days trying to figure a way into Superman's Fortress of Solitude, always ending in failure despite his intellect. Today however he has visitors. Superman and Superboy force their way inside the facility holding Luthor. Superman leads Superboy through a series of traps and measures which Luthor was tricked into building himself. Superman's armor is protecting Superboy and helping him heal. They come face to face with Luthor in his cell. He makes some comments about Superboy's "parentage" before revealing to Superman that he knows all about H'el and his plans to return through time to save Krypton by using a power source found in the bottled city of Kandor, which could work, but would destroy Earth in the process. Luthor knows that Superman would have figured this out for himself, and wonders whether Superman came to visit Luthor to find out whether he'd be able to push himself to kill H'el if need by, as he once nearly killed Luthor. Leaving the prison, Superboy tells Superman about the Teen Titans, but Superman doesn't need their help, as the Justice League have arrived to help him take on H'el and stop him destroying the earth.

Superman #16
Cover date: March 2013
"H'el on Earth": "A Fistful of Sticks!"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
H'el talks about his days on Krypton, but Supergirl doesn't remember any of what he tells her. H'el brushes it off as gaps in her memory from her time in stasis travelling to Earth, and then kisses her again. Unaware of the full ramifications of his plan, Kara can't understand why Kal-El wants to stop them so badly. Superman and the League fight against more of the alien weapons Superman has housed in his Fortress. Superboy destroys the threat and Cyborg prepares to Boom Tube them to another location, but Batman suggests that's just what H'el wants them to do. Meanwhile Kara and H'el complete the star drive, and Kara is once again concerned when H'el mentions Earth making a sacrifice for their success. When a Boom Tume sounds he thinks Superman and the others have fallen into his planned trap, however it was a ploy, and Superman flies in, pummeling H'el. Kara tries to save him, and Superman tries to reason with her, but Superboy intervenes and attacks Supergirl. Then Superman, Superboy and the other instantly find themselves out in the snow again... H'el as moved the Fortress. He fires up the star drive, and it appears all is lost. H'el has won. Deep in space the Oracle awakens...

Superman #17
Cover date: April 2013
"H'el on Earth": Conclusion - "Fury at World's End"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
A colossal stone hand stops him from flying into deep space. The Oracle beams images of the past, present and future directly to Superman. Superman is unsure what he's being told, but races back to the Fortress to stop H'el. Supergirl has finally woken up to her mistakes. Superboy uses his full TK power to collapse the Star Chamber. Just before H'el attacks Superboy Superman rams into him HARD. Supergirl crawls out of the debris near a razor sharp shard of Kryptonite. H'el's ship rises from the debris of the Star Chamber, having been inside charging up. The villain points out that his plan was always to help save the people of Krypton, help rescue the greatest minds of the universe at the cost of a tiny planet. Supergirl calls out to him, tricking him into thinking she's changed her mind. Instead she stabs the sharp Kryptonite into his chest, closing the time portals, and ruining his plans. As he vanishes in time Supergirl collapses from the Kryptonite's radiation. Superman races her inside the Fortress hoping his equipment can save his cousin's life. The Oracle, watching from space, realizes that Superman and his friends have saved the omniverse this day but also have set a chain reaction for Superman's future that may lead to the Oracle's predictions once more. Twelve years prior to the death of Krypton a young Jor-El student wanders away from a scientific dig. In a nearby cave he finds a dying H'el has arrived back in the past further than he planned and in doing so the entire history of the El's and Krypton has changed...

Superman #18
Cover date: May 2013
"Metropolitan Nightmare"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciller: Aaron Kuder, Tyler Kirkham & Robson Rocha
Inker: Aaron Kuder & Jaime Mendoza
On the orders of Highfather, Orion has returned home after time on Earth with Wonder Woman. Arriving in Undertown he makes short work of a Behemoth. Orion realizes that he likes the life on Earth. Elsewhere, Superman is standing in front of the United States Senate who want to inspect and catalogue the entire contents of the Fortress. Superman refuses bluntly. Morgan Edge arrives at the Daily Planet demanding to know the whereabouts of Lois Lane and is gobsmacked to hear that Perry has offered her a job as a reporter again and right now she is interviewing Superman on the steps of the Senate. Later that night Clark meets up with Cat Grant who unveils her new project - ClarkCatRopolis.com a website running all their content. Clark is taken aback and doesn't hide his thoughts about not wanting in on the project. Just then everyone at the club they're at begins joyfully leaping from the skyscraper club roof. Superman saves them all and detects a ghost signal being projected by the club DJ's equipment. The Partygoers begin to talk about distrust in Superman and the fact that he has an 'ice dungeon' which Cat picks up on her phone. Someone from afar is monitoring everything, admiring the mischief they caused this night. At STAR Labs in a coma Hector Hammond begins displaying some brain activity. Orion and he has been granted audience to the Prophecy Wall, which depicts a threat that needs to be taken care of... Superman.

Superman #19
Cover date: June 2013
"Look Who's Flying to Dinner"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciller: Kenneth Rocafort
Inker: Kenneth Rocafort
Superman is captured by a race of red sun powered aliens named the Sunturnians, invading Earth from their base on Neo Sol. Despite their invasion Superman is unusually calm giving them warning that in forty-seven seconds they'll regret their actions. Superman ends his countdown and Allysun realizes that they underestimated their opponent as he uses water towers from all across Metropolis to flood their ships and use his arctic breath to freeze the water. While this is going on he realizes he's late for Lois' housewarming party. His date, Diana Prince arrives at Lois' place. Jimmy and Jonathan gawp, while Perry White steps in to rescue Diana till Clark arrives. Over in S.T.A.R. Labs Hector Hammond's brain activity stops. When Clark arrives he experiences some strange visions, and has some even stranger interactions with Lois, Jon, and Perry. Orion arrives on Earth and heads straight for S.T.A.R. bursting in he finds the lifeless body of Hector Hammond and is disappointed to find that the extreme malevolent power he tracked to the lab was not the Superman that Highfather had sent him after. Hearing that Hammond's body is without a mind Orion realizes perhaps that Superman himself is the new home for Hammond's mind. On the balcony of Lois' apartment Clark and Diana are about to share a kiss when Clark is taken and dunked in the river. Changing into Superman Clark realizes the entire city was psionically manipulated and even his mind was affected as his thoughts were deliberately clouded. As he rises out of the water ready for a fight, a hand grabs his cape, Orion has arrived to ensure the prophecy is never successful.

NOTABLE ISSUES

Green Lantern #14 (January)
Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy
The Justice League comes after the new Green Lantern, demanding answers about the missing Hal Jordan!

Red Hood and The Outlaws #14 (January)
Scott Lobdell, Pascal Alixe, Pascal Alixe
Just as the team gets back to Earth, they are interrupted by Superman. There's a Black Market alien technology being fenced and the Man of Steel has traced a connection to the Red Hood!

Swamp Thing #19 (June)
Charles Soule, Kano, Kano
Though he saved the entire world from the Rot (without praise or thanks), Swamp Thing realises he's unable to save everyone. Swampy travels to Metropolis to speak with Superman, the one hero who confronts more than any other the dim reality that not everyone can be saved.

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Action Comics & Superman Comics Index

Introduction

Here is a listing of the regular Superman titles (Action Comics and Superman) since the 2011 Flashpoint saga that relaunched the DC Universe of comic books. For accuracy almost every entry is based upon actually looking in the issue, and not memory or another source.

This listing is done in the order for when a comic book issue was published.

Note: Remember, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic was on sale.

The Writer, Penciller and Inker for each issue is listed under the Comic's Title and Date.

CONTENTS:

2011 | 2012 | 2013
Trade Paperbacks

Back to Comic Index Contents Page.

You can read reviews of all the Superman related comics (from October 1999 onwards) in the Mild Mannered Reviews section of this website.