Adventures of Superman

The Adventures of Superman is published by DC Comics. Current price per issue is $2.50.

Last Issue

 * Adventures of Superman #648: 25 Jan 2006

Current Issue

 * Adventures of Superman #649: 01 Mar 2006

Next Issue

 * None. Numbering continued by Superman

Status
Monthly on-going. Final issue is #649 (Superman will take over its original numbering from Adventures of Superman.)

Began publication in 1987.

Superman also appears monthly in Action Comics, Superman and Superman/Batman. Adventures of Superman frequently has storylines that carry over from and are continued in Action Comics and Superman.

Main Characters

 * Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent - The last survivor of the planet Krypton, Superman has many powers on Earth, including flight, super-strength, super-speed, x-ray vision, heat vision, and invulnerability. (aka "The Man of Steel,' 'The Man of Tomorrow') - Superman

Allies

 * Lois Lane - Star reporter for the Daily Planet. Married to Clark Kent. - Lois Lane


 * Jimmy Olsen - Photographer and cub reporter for the Daily Planet. Has a 'signal watch' that can be used to contact Superman. Sometimes called "Superman's Pal" - Jimmy Olsen


 * Batman/Bruce Wayne - A vigilante super-hero from Gotham City. - Batman


 * Wonder Woman/Princess Diana - Super-hero and ambassador from Themyscira. - Wonder Woman

Enemies

 * Lex Luthor - Founder and former CEO of Lexcorp, and former President of the United States. Disgraced and run out of office, he now works in the criminal underground as one of the key players in the revived Secret Society of Super-Villains. - Lex Luthor


 * Mr. Mxyzptlk - Imp from the 5th dimension with seemingly magical powers. Loves to bedevil Superman, but once he has been 'tricked' into returning to his home dimension he cannot return to Earth for 90 days. - Mr. Mxyzptlk

Minor Characters

 * Perry White - Editor in Chief of the Daily Planet. - Perry White


 * Lana Lang - Clark Kent's high school sweetheart. Was briefly First Lady of the United States when her ex-husband, Pete Ross, became President after Lex Luthor's resignation. - Lana Lang


 * Krypto - A super-powered dog from a alternate/pocket universe Krypton. - Krypto


 * Martha (Clark) 'Ma' Kent - Superman's adoptive mother on Earth. - Martha Kent


 * Jonathan 'Pa' Kent - Superman's adoptive father on Earth. - Jonathan Kent


 * Jor-El - Superman's biological father from Krypton. Deceased. - Jor-El


 * Lara - Superman's biological mother from Krypton. Deceased. - Lara (Kryptonian)

Other Characters/Places/Things

 * Metropolis - Large city in the United States, and current city of residence of Superman. - Metropolis (comics)


 * Smallville - Kansas farming town where Clark Kent was raised on Earth. Current home to Martha & Jonathan Kent, and Superboy/Conner Kent. - Smallville


 * Krypton - Home planet of Superman/Kal-El. Was destroyed when its radioactive core went critical. - Krypton (Planet)


 * The Phantom Zone - Otherdimensional realm where criminals from Krypton were exiled. - Phantom Zone

Adventures of Superman #649
This is the current issue, and therefore no story information will be posted about this issue. Please check your local comic shop for copies of this issue.

Adventures of Superman #648
"Look... Up in the Sky." Infinite Crisis crossover. Superman battles Chemo in the streets of a devestated Bl&uuml;dhaven.

Adventures of Superman #647
"Rack & Ruin" part 2 of 2. With Lt. Leocadio help, Superman battle Ruin, finally defeating his nemesis and saving the lives of Pete, Lana, and young Clark. In the aftermath, Pete reveals that he knows Superman's secret identity, and Clark Kent writes an expose on Ruin's true identity for the Daily Planet, clearing Pete's name.

Adventures of Superman #646
"Rack & Ruin" part 1 of 2. Mr. Mxyzptlk, who is now a down-on-his-luck bum, is assisted by Clark Kent; in the process, Clark figures out that Ruin is not his old friend Pete Ross, but rather Professor Hamilton. MEanwhile Lois Lane tracks down her would-be assissin: Sasha Bordeaux, working under orders from Checkmate head Max Lord. Ruin kidnaps Lana Lang and her child, taking them to where he is holding Pete Ross prisoner. Superman and Lt. Leocadio of the MCU each independently track down Ruin in his lair.

Adventures of Superman #645
"Breaking Point." Infinite Crisis crossover. A mess of OMACs hover over Metropolis; Superman confronts them but doesn't engage them in combat. In the Middle Eastern country of Umec, Lois Lane attempts to track down information about who shot her last year. Professor Hamilton visits the offices of the MCU, telling them he knows where Ruin is hiding. Superman spies Luthor on a rooftop--obviously up to something--but as he confronts his arch enemy, Ruin arrives to put the smackdown on Superman. As they battle, Superman is able to heed a distress call from the JLA Watchtower; by the time he disengages from Ruin (who disappears) it is too late: the Watchtower has been destroyed. Continued in Infinite Crisis #1.

Adventures of Superman #644
After discussing recent events in his life with Lois Lane, Superman visits Zatanna to see if she can determine whether or not there will be any lasting after-effects from his mind control by Max Lord. Zatanna says that she cannot help, but she does tell Superman that she previously used her mind-whammy on the Toyman. Zatanna and Superman track down the Toyman, and learn that Zatanna's spell didn't make Toyman less evil, but rather made him delusional, thinking that he was helping children when he really was hurting them. Zatanna casts another spell, intergrating Toyman's mind. As Superman battles giant toys and Zatanna saves a bunch of children, Toyman disappears. Meanwhile, in the sewers of Metropolis, Lex Luthor tracks down and recruits the Parasite.

Adventures of Superman #643
"Fragmentation." Wonder Woman kills Max Lord to free Superman from his control, and then immediately the two heroes have to respond to major world disasters. Superman races to stop a nuclear missile, and is hindered by two OMACs; in the process, Superman learns that the OMACs are not robots, but rather people trapped unwittingly within a robot shell. Later, Superman approaches Batman to make amends, but is rebuffed.

Adventures of Superman #642
"Sacrifice" part 3 of 4. Superman tries to face up to the fact that he tried to kill Batman, an event which he does not remember, while Wonder Woman attempts to heal Batman with a purple ray machine. After reviewing the incident with the Justice League as recorded by the security cameras on the watchtower, The Martian Manhunter enters Superman's mind and learns that Superman is being controlled by Max Lord, a former ally of the Justice League. Lord once again takes control of Superman's mind and forces him to battle his fellow heroes and escape the Watchtower, with Wonder Woman in hot pursuit. (continued in Wonder Woman #219)

Adventures of Superman #641
"Innocence". Clark Kent visits Pete Ross in prison. Pete claims his innocence and revelas that Luthor told him that Clark was Superman. When the Parasites attempt a prison break, Superman battles the energy-leaching villains, but soon an OMAC appears and kills the Parasites. In the chaos of the battle, Pete Ross escapes from prison, with two dead prison guards in the wake.

Adventures of Superman #640
"The Road to Ruin" conclusion. Superman battles Ruin in the streets of Metropolis. After defeating Ruin, the villain is unmasked and revealed to be Pete Ross, President of the United States and Clark Kent's best friend from childhood.

Adventures of Superman #638
When Clark and Lois discuss having a child, Mr. Mxyzptlk arrives and alters reality to show them what life would be like raising a super-powered child.

Collections

 * Superman: Unconventional Warfare - Collects #627-632, plus the back-up stories from #625-626 and secret files profile pages. "The Man of Steel is challenged when a more powerful Replikon arrives for a fight — the first layer of a complex scheme that may prove Superman's undoing!" - WorldCat


 * Superman: That Healing Touch - Collects #633-638, plus the lead story from Superman Secret Files 2004. "As Lois recovers from her Mid-east ordeal, Superman gets a visit from Mr. Mxyzptlk and receives harsh words from Wonder Woman and Batman in the wake of Identity Crisis!" - WorldCat


 * Superman: Ruin Revealed - Collects #640-641 & #644-647. "Ruin, the man who has been out to destroy Superman and his loved ones, is revealed to be someone near and dear to him!" - (forthcoming, April 2005)

History
Originally titled Superman; was retitled as Adventures of Superman with issue #424 (in 1987) to make way for a new Superman #1.

Order Codes
These are the order codes and prices as provided by Diamond Distribution. Your local comic shop should be able to order these for you.


 * JAN05 0283	ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #638	$2.50
 * FEB05 0260	ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #639	$2.50
 * MAR05 0383	ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #640	$2.50
 * APR05 0318	ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #641	$2.50
 * MAY05 0215	ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #642	$2.50
 * JUN05 0346	ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #643	$2.50
 * JUL05 0212	ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #644	$2.50
 * AUG05 0197	ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #645	$2.50
 * SEP05 0221	ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #646	$2.50
 * OCT05 0231	ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #647	$2.50

Future Publication Dates
Dates subject to change at the whims of the publisher or distributor. Please see the Diamond Shipping Lists for current information.


 * Superman: Ruin Revealed TPB: 12 Apr 2006

Links

 * DC Comics - Publisher's Website
 * Adventures of Superman - GCD entry
 * Superman in the Comics - Section of the Superman Homepage pertaining to the comics
 * Superman - general Wikipedia entry for Superman
 * Adventures of Superman (comic book)