Who's Who in the Superman Comics
Imperiex
A destroyer of galaxies, the cosmic conqueror Imperiex created a notorious reputation - instilling fear even into Mongul, a conqueror himself. When Imperiex destroyed Warworld, Mongul sought the aid of one of his greatest, most powerful adversaries: Superman!
Together, Superman and Mongul traveled into the far reaches of space, and eventually engaged Imperiex in combat...or so they thought. The entity they battled was what would become known as a "probe", a foot soldier for the true Imperiex. Soon afterwards, Imperiex sent a mass of probes to assault the earth, triggering a major war. Imperiex's invasion of the planet proved to be one of the worst assaults the earth has faced so far. Several cities and villages around the world were decimated. Several major metahumans lost their lives, or were lost during the onslaught. Among the most notable included Aquaman, Maxima, Massacre, the legendary Frank Rock (who gained fame as the courageous Sgt. Rock of World War II), Guy Gardner, and the Amazonian Queen Hippolyta. Ultimately, it took the combined efforts of Superman and one of his deadliest foes, Darkseid, in order to defeat Imperiex.
While the extraterrestrial terror was beaten, the after-effects of its assault remain far-reaching. The city of Topeka was nearly destroyed, and Paradise Island had to be reconstructed. Heroes such as Guy Gardner a.k.a. Warrior, Aquaman, and Frank Rock - all thought to have been killed in the conflict, have only recently resurfaced. And President Lex Luthor, who so far has had a scandal-free term, narrowly avoided a big controversy when it was revealed that he could have had prior knowledge of the invasion; and acted to save more lives.
For Superman, the effects of the war were truly great. The Man of Steel found himself questioning his campaign to fight for truth, justice, and the American way. His father-in-law Major Samuel Lane (who served in President Luthor's Cabinet as the Secretary of Defense) was murdered by Imperiex probes. His death was very painful for daughter Lois Lane, causing her to briefly question her faith in Superman's ability... and even his loyalty to her, as her husband. For a short while Superman adopted a black background to replace the gold in his classic "S" insignia as a way to commemorate those who died during the Imperiex invasion.
First Appearance: SUP #153
Who's Who in the Superman Comics
Introduction
This is a listing of many of the notable characters and a few places that have appeared in the
Superman comics from the 1986 revamp up until around 2008.
NOTE: A new, and more current version of the Who's Who is currently being worked on and can be accessed by clicking here.
Although Superman often appears in other DC Comics, this text's information is limited mainly to what has occurred in the regular Superman comics.
Many thanks to Scotty V, Derrick Lyle Coleman, Dean Vanek, Genevieve Clemens and Benjamin Grose who all helped out at one time or another with writing and updating these Who's Who descriptions.
The listings are displayed as follows:
- Surname, Firstname - Text describing the character, place, object, etc...
Relevant issues of the Superman comics are listed as such:
- SUP = Superman
- MOS = Man of Steel
- AOS = Adventures of Superman
- ACT = Action Comics
- MOT = Man of Tomorrow
The Issue Number for each of these titles is written in this manner: “#000”. (e.g.
SUP #123)
“First Appearance” refers to the issue since 1986 unless otherwise noted.
