A strange encounter in Millersberg leaves Superman weakened and in deadly danger. But how does he go from fighting Man-Bat in a cave on Earth to the location in space once occupied by Krypton? That logo on his space suit may provide a clue…
Crossover: This short crossover event spins out of the 600th anniversary issue of Action Comics and into the ongoing Superman title.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets. For example, [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- DIFFERENT WORLDS (1988) – Clark Kent is called away by Jimmy Olsen
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers; bold issues are ‘must-reads’:
- Action Comics #600 [4/5]
- Action Comics #600 [5/5]
- Superman (1987) #18
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Action Comics #600 [4/5] Superman answers the signal from Jimmy Olsen (sent during DIFFERENT WORLDS, 1988) and heads to Millersberg where a tanker leaking toxic waste threatens the town. But Superman collapses, sensing Kryptonite radiation from the shockwave that followed Krypton’s destruction. Jimmy uses a forklift to take Superman to a nearby cave to recover, then runs off to get help! |
| Action Comics #600 [5/5] Man-Bat just happens to fly into the cave, causing Superman to be uncharacteristically fearful in his fevered state. Superman comes close to killing Man-Bat until the creature breaks through the fever to talk him down. Man-Bat successfully seeks out the person Superman believes can help him… Hawkman! |
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Superman #18 Hawkman and Hawkwoman take Superman into deep space where they find ‘Krypton’ made of chunks of the planet sitting where the real planet once was. Superman explores in a Thangarian spacesuit, hallucinating how things might have played out if the Kryptonian Science Council had listened to Jor-El – with disastrous results for Earth! Returning to his home planet, Superman believes the surviving Kryptonians would have tried to conquer Earth! Note: Despite referring to each other as ‘Katar’ and ‘Shayera’, this Hawkman is actually Fel Andar, while Hawkwoman is Sharon Parker. |
See how this story fits into the wider DC Universe with these reading orders:
- SUPERMAN, 1987-1988 – The Man of Steel
| Issue(s) & Fallout | Issue(s) & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Adventures of Superman #460-161 (1989) Superman learns of the Kryptonians’ bio-link to the Planet Krypton, created by the Eradicator artefact as a means of preserving the Kryptonian culture. | THE EXILE |
| Hawkworld #22-23 (1992) The Hawkman and Hawkwoman who aid the heroes against the Manhunters are revealed to be Fel Andar and Sharon Parker, posing as Katar Hol and Shayera Thal. | ||
| ✔ | Superman: New Krypton Special #1 (2008) Following the restoration of the Kryptonian city of Kandor to its true size, 100,000 Kryptonians find themselves displaced on planet Earth; ultimately the resettled Kryptonians look to a more forceful leader to aid in their dominion over Earth. | NEW KRYPTON SIGHTINGS |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Superman: The Man of Steel vol.8 tpb (2013) | Action Comics #598-600 Adventures of Superman #439-440 Superman #16-18 |
| Superman: The Man of Steel vol.4 HC (2022) | Action Comics #598-600 Adventures of Superman #439-444 Doom Patrol #10 Superman #16-22 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| DC Universe by Mike Mignola | Action Comics #600 [5/5] |
| Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told vol.1 | Superman #18 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2025
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