Issue 1: "A War of Brothers"

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Adventures of Superman
Issue 1: “Lost Sons of Krypton, Pt. 1: A War of Brothers!”
Written by David Charlton
Cover by Roy Flinchum
Colored by Brandon Herren
Editor: Scott Kruger

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Max Lord was bored.

He sat in the Oval Office, perusing the latest budget reports from the Department of the Interior, suppressing a yawn and daydreaming about his golf game later with the Prime Minister of the UK--- which made him want to yawn again (His Excellency was narcoleptic and horribly myopic).

He longed for the days when he could jet off to Paris for lunch, Tokyo for sushi, and Sweden for entertaining companionship; maybe buzzing the LexCorp Towers on the way back to New York... Those were exciting times, no responsibilities… Before he decided upon a career in politics, and the pursuit of power.

Boring, absolute power…

Maxwell Lord IV, President of the United States of America, leader of the Free World, had no idea just how exciting his day was about to get…

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“Mr. President!”

Max jerked awake, blinking at the intercom speaker on his desk.

“Wha---? What is it, Ms. Caulfield?”

“It’s Superman, Mr. President. I think he’s going to have to cancel the photo op in the Rose Garden this afternoon.”

Straightening his tie, Max collected himself.

“That is unacceptable. Why?”

“Turn on the TV, sir.”

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“…once again, this is Jack Ryder, reporting from downtown Metropolis where Superman is engaged in battle with a human combatant at least as strong as he is, and determined to put down the Man of Steel! This titanic conflict began when the super-powered maniac smashed the monorail above Centennial Park…”

Max turned up the volume, and gaped at the scene of devastation on the screen before him. The street behind the correspondent looked like a war zone, with overturned vehicles, flaming debris and gaping impact craters. The camera panned up into the sky and zoomed in tight on two figures, barely visible in the clouds, one all in black, the other distinguishable by a flowing red cape. Even from that distance, the camera picked up their struggle, and the thunderous sounds of the blows they dealt each other.

“… one eyewitness reports that the newcomer destroyed the monorail simply to distract Superman, and that Superman is the attacker’s sole target, taunting him with threats…”

Max felt his jaw clench, and swore under his breath.

The door to the Oval Office opened and his Chief of Staff poked his head in.

“Mr. President, we have a situation.”

“I know,” Max pointed to the TV with the remote. “I’m watching it now---.”

“No, sir.” The Chief of Staff looked serious. “There’s something else…”

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In the Situation Room in the basement of the White House, President Max Lord rubbed his closed eyelids and tried to ignore the headache he was developing.

When he raised his head again, he faced the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and said: “So you’re telling me, General Lane, that we have a nuclear submarine missing?”

Sam Lane’s steely façade did not waver. “Not missing, Mr. President. Exactly,” He checked his watch, “Thirty eight minutes ago, Trident-class nuclear submarine Admiral Byrd, went radio silent in conjunction with a bizarre electro-magnetic atmospheric event that our boys cannot explain yet.”

“An event?” Max was dubious.

“Yes, sir.” Said Lane. “Satellite photos show what appears to have been a major detonation near the South Pole, about twenty times the force of the Hiroshima bomb.”

“The Byrd blew up?”

“No, sir.” Lane shook his head. “The Byrd still appears on radar, and NORAD can determine if the triggers of its payload have been detonated; they haven’t.”

“Then what the hell was that explosion, and where is the Admiral Byrd, Lane?” Fumed Max.

“As near as we can tell, Mr. President, the explosion occurred on the spot of Superman’s alien hideaway, his so-called Fortress of Solitude. We conjecture that it has somehow been fatally compromised, and the resulting release of energy caused the devastation in the Antarctic. The whole area is a figurative and literal hotspot right now, with energies and radiation we can’t even identify flooding the region for hundreds of miles in radius.”

“But what about the Byrd, and its missiles?” Max wanted to get to the point.

General Lane stiffened. “The Admiral Byrd, with its compliment of ninety two men, and three Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles appear on the last satellite photos we were able to take before the satellites themselves fell victim to an undetermined blast from the impact zone.” The Chairman turned and with a click of a remote, activated a flat plasma monitor screen the size of a wall. Everyone around the table gasped at the image before them.

The U.S. nuclear submarine lay smashed on the surface of the Antarctic continent as if it had been plucked from the sea and deposited there, miles from shore. It sat amidst a scene of infernal devastation, an unrecognizable alien landscape. And, clearly discernable in the sharply focused black and white photographs, were two humanoid figures flying exultantly over the dead ship like circling vultures.

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“Liar!” Roared Superman, stunned and appalled at the same time. He bore down hard on his foe, their locked hands pulverizing each other’s grip. He knew he had to get to Lois within seconds, but he could not turn his back on this dangerous madman!

Kru-El laughed, his bearded face red from the incredible strain Superman applied.

“I have no reason to lie, runt! I take no pride in bearing his name; Jor-El disowned me at birth!” He sneered, then bashed his head into Superman’s face.

He cried out, blood gushing from his nose, and Kru-El took immediate advantage of this momentary weakness. He launched a kick at Superman which sent him spiraling away. He was instantly caught up in a crushing bear hug by Kru-El, his arms tightly pinned. Their faces were inches from each others’, the spittle from the maniac’s lips spraying Superman’s face.

“I only rejoice that it will be I who stamps out the last vestiges of our father’s House, his precious Kal-El!”

Struggling for breath, Superman turned his head earthward, focusing his super-vision to the last spot he’d seen Lois. She was gone! The parking garage where that non-descript car had been was empty; nor was there any sign of that would-be assassin. A cold and hollow dread filled him, to be quickly replaced by anger.

He turned his gaze on Kru-El. “I don’t care who you are, if anything’s happened to her, you’ll regret it ‘til the end of your days!”

Twin blasts of heat erupted from Superman’s eyes, burning into Kru-El’s forehead! The Kryptonian madman screamed, releasing Superman, and covered his face as he wailed.

Superman took a breath, then, clenching his fists together, swung them with all his might down atop Kru-El’s head like a jackhammer! The madman plummeted back to earth, Superman speeding after him.

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Lois Lane leaned back in the passenger seat of the car, attempting to take in all that her secret source had just told her. It seemed too incredible for words, this tale of espionage, cloning and a new science that Dr. Hamilton called “xenobiological engineering.”

“But cloning requires source material, right?” She asked intently, her eyes studying the clearly anxious Dr. Hamilton, practically quivering in the driver’s seat; he hadn’t even turned the car off.

“That’s correct, Ms. Lane. Which, as you can imagine, has proven impossible to obtain. That’s the major stumbling block that Project Cadmus faces right now.” He scratched his ragged grey beard. “Up to now, we’ve relied upon remote radio-electric and bio-magnetic scans, and even a certain amount of conjecture, not to mention advanced photo-chromatic analysis--- but it’s not perfect! Not even close! What we are creating is a… perversion! A monster. I can’t be a party to this anymore.” His hands on the steering wheel shook convulsively. “But I can’t get out, either. Luthor will have me killed, I know it---.”

“Dr. Hamilton,” Lois put a soft hand on his shoulder to calm him, all the while trying to restrain her own excitement and adrenalin. This was it! This was the story that was going to nail Luthor. “Emil! You have to get me into that lab. If we can get proof---.”

She stopped in mid-sentence as a figure stepped out of the shadows in front of their car. He had a gun, with a silencer screwed onto the barrel, pointed directly at them!
“Get down!” She yelled, shoving Hamilton roughly.

The windshield shattered in a musical spray of glass, the bullet thudding into the head rest where only a millisecond before had been Emil Hamilton’s head, spared only by the timely shove from Lois.

A panicked jerk of Hamilton’s foot sent the idling car shooting forward, smashing into the would-be assassin. His body rolled up the hood with an audibly yelp of pain, then slid off to the side as the car careened across the underground garage.

Lois grabbed the steering wheel as Hamilton recovered from his shock, glancing back at their would-be killer rolling around on the ground behind them.

“Leave him! Just go!” Lois yelled, jerking the wheel sharply to avoid a parked car.

Hamilton snapped out of his frightened stupor, and took the wheel. The car sped away, even as the assassin shot fruitlessly at it from behind.

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“Incoming!” Yelled a policeman as he ran out of the street, gesturing wildly for people to make way.

Kru-El’s body hit the pavement like a flaming comet, crashing through to the sewer below, causing the whole street to shake. Steam sizzled from the hole the impact caused, like a hot iron doused in water.

Superman came in for a landing by the crater, looking more roughed up then the people of Metropolis had ever seen him. A crowd had gathered, despite the best efforts of the police, but Superman waved them back.

“Hey, Supes, what hit ya?” A burly hot-dog vendor called out.

Just then, Kru-El erupted from the ground, sending concrete flying everywhere. But Superman was ready for him now. He flew straight at him, fist first, and connected with a powerful blow that drove his half-brother into the side of an abandoned bus. Groaning amidst the twisted metal, Kru-El barely had time to look up before Superman was upon him. He thrashed out wildly, a kick sending Superman spinning backward.

“You’ll pay for this, Kal-El!” Seethed his brother. His face was black and scorched, and still steaming. He advanced on Superman, flexing his fists. “You will join Jor-El and the rest of Krypton in extinction!”

Superman met his brother head on. “You are so wrong about that.”

Again the two collided, and their blows were like thunder heard as far away as Gotham City.

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From high up in the sky, behind the plate glass of his soaring tower, Lex Luthor watched the far-off conflict below with some interest. Impeccably dressed, as always, he stood with his hands behind his back, one eyebrow arched as he watched Superman meet his match.

A surge of jealousy welled within Luthor. He had long considered the alien his albatross, his nemesis… What right did this newcomer have to come along and steal Lex’s glory? If Superman was to fall, it should be at the feet of Lex Luthor…!

Who was this madman going toe to toe with the Man of Steel?

Whoever he was, he had the power to hurt Superman. No human, surely. Another alien, then? A Kryptonian, perhaps, judging by his immense strength and other powers.

Lex idly rubbed his thumb over the green stone set in the ring on his right ring finger and fumed.

Of course, he had realized instantly how this might work to his advantage…

He buzzed one of his many operations managers.

“Otto, when this fight is over, volunteer LexCorp’s HazMat services for the clean-up. I want a team on the ground the minute one of them is dead.”

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The brawl continued in the streets of Metropolis.

Kru-El was maddened, fighting like a berserker, unwilling to believe the puny son of Jor-El could get the best of him. And that was his weakness. Though aware enough to avoid Kal-El’s heat vision, he nonetheless relied upon brute strength, utilizing none of the special powers and abilities that Earth’s sun and gravity bestowed upon him. The powers and abilities that Superman had spent many years honing to great effect.

Superman was a red and blue streak around Kru-El, keeping him whirling and off-balance, his deadly fists lashing out, but failing to connect. It only served to enrage the brute even more.

“Face me, son of Jor-El!” He howled impotently. “At least die like a man!” He thrashed recklessly about, stomping so hard he burst an underground water main. A geyser of water jetted into the air, sending asphalt flying. Superman saw that a big chunk of it was sailing right towards the foolish young man taking pictures at the edge of the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight. Rolling his eyes, he arrowed himself straight towards the carrot-topped photographer, sweeping him out of harm’s way.

“Thanks, Superman!” Jimmy Olsen breathed as Superman set him down.
“Stay back, Jimmy. This maniac is out of control.” Was all the admonishment he had time for before throwing himself back into the fray.

A berserker he may have been, but Kru-El was not stupid. He noted how Superman had saved the human, and grinned at the advantage he’d just discovered. He wrenched a smashed car off the ground, and lifting it effortlessly over his head, he hurled it at the crowd of onlookers!

“No!” Superman cried, speeding for the flying hunk of metal. He caught it just as it was about to crash down on the heads of innocent people--- but Kru-El had wasted no time. He slammed into Superman as he caught the car, sending both of them tumbling to the ground under three tons of twisted metal.

The car settled atop them, only for a moment, the crowd watching warily, wondering if the fight had at last ended--- and then exploded as Superman was sent flying from a monstrous blow, skidding and bouncing down the street.

Kru-El crowed in triumph and chased after him at a blinding speed. Prone on the ground and shaking his head to clear his vision from that last wallop, Superman saw his mad brother charging straight at him, splashing through the geyser of the busted water main flooding the street.

Which was all he needed.

With one quick and prodigious inhalation, Superman blew a blast of frigid breath at the sloshy ground, blast freezing the water into ice! The running Kru-El lost his footing instantly, pinwheeled and slipped, falling to the ground. But his momentum carried him forward still--- right to a Superman waiting with his arm cocked back for a massive punch!

The expression on Kru-El’s face was one of supreme surprise and frustration as Superman’s fist smashed into it. He spun and dropped, only to be yanked up by his collar and shaken roughly.

“This is over, Kru-El!” Superman gritted, his fist hovering for another mighty blow. “You’re beaten! Now tell me, is Zod here? Is Zod on Earth?”

His world spinning, Kru-El could only laugh through his broken teeth.

“The Destroyer has come for you, son of Jor-El…” He wheezed. “He will have his revenge…”

Mustering his last ounce of strength, Kru-El attempted a final blow, but all he saw was Superman’s fist heading for his face before his world went dark.

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Like the rest of Metropolis, Dr Kitty Faulkner had been glued to her TV during the titanic clash, but now that it was over, she became aware of a commotion outside her offices.

Rushing outside, she saw Superman touching down in the courtyard of S.T.A.R. Labs, looking much the worse for wear, a large burden slung over his shoulder which he let fall once touching ground: it was the unconscious form of the man he’d been fighting.

“His name’s Kru-El,” He said to her wearily. “He’s a Kryptonian, like me, Dr. Faulkner. I hope you have something that will hold him, because he isn’t going to be out forever.”

“Like you…?” Kitty started. “My god, Superman, I don’t know…!” She wracked her brain, looking over the condition the Man of Steel was in. “He has to breathe, right? That’s still an automatic impulse, even for Kryptonians? We could keep him under constant sedation with gas, so he never wakes up enough to use his powers, but that’s not a permanent solution.”

“It’ll do for now.” Superman nodded.

A tech rushed into the courtyard, waving a phone.

“Superman! It’s for you.”

He looked up.

The tech shrugged apologetically and extended the handset.

“It’s the White House.”

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When Superman walked into the Situation Room below the White House, there came a round of gasps and sharply indrawn breaths at his appearance; even Max half stood out of his chair, his expression one of stunned surprise.

“You--- You look like you’ve been in a barroom brawl, Superman! What happened?”

The Man of Steel nodded a greeting to the gathered cabinet officials and military men, including Lois’ father, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Sam Lane.

“His name is Kru-El. He’s a Kryptonian outlaw. I’ve managed to subdue him, but we have bigger problems now, Mr. President.”

Max nodded. He and Superman had some history; before his run for office, Max had attempted many times to put Superman on his payroll as a bodyguard, mostly just to irritate his own arch rival Lex Luthor, and had traded on his “relationship” with the Man of Steel as an American icon to increase his own somewhat lackluster reputation--- indeed, it may just have gotten him elected! Max Lord took every opportunity to have his picture taken smiling next to his old buddy Superman, who would defend the nation, and the world, to his dying breath!

In a matter of moments, they brought Superman up to speed regarding the occurrences in the Antarctic, showing him the satellite photos of the flying figures and the beached Admiral Byrd.

“Then it is true.” Superman said grimly. “Kru-El said, but I wasn’t sure I believed him. But it is Zod.”

“Zod? What does that mean?” Max demanded.

Superman explained. “As you know, Mr. President, I’m not from Earth. My birth planet was called Krypton, a massive, super-dense world that orbited an ancient red giant star. My father was that world’s greatest scientist and statesmen,” It occurred to Superman that was what Lex Luthor aspired to be, and he winced at the irony. “He sent me to Earth when I was a baby, to escape the destruction of the planet. The destruction which was ultimately triggered by a hideous device called an ‘echo-bomb’, a self-perpetuating nuclear device that continues to explode until it exhausts all combustible fuel around it. The echo bomb was used by a terrorist and would-be world conqueror known only as General Zod in his last ditch gambit of the Civil War he was waging for control of Krypton. It destroyed a city many times the size of Metropolis, and then burrowed beneath the surface of the planet, lodging finally in the center of the planet, where it fed off the core, and ten years later caused the chain reaction that tore Krypton apart.”

“But wouldn’t Zod have been destroyed, too? Weren’t you the only survivor of Krypton?” Asked Max.

“Zod, and his two henchmen, ‘til now known only to history as his Hound and Tigress, were captured and prosecuted by my father Jor-El, and sentenced to exile in a tesseract, a cosmic anomaly of time and space, called the Phantom Zone, which my father had discovered how to harness. Somehow, they must have escaped the Phantom Zone and found their way to Earth…”

“Good God,” One of the cabinet secretaries muttered. “That detonation in the Antarctic--- the echo-bomb!”

“No, Secretary, I don’t think so.” Superman told him. “Judging from the satellite photos, it appears that the explosion was caused by the rupturing of the tesseract which held my Kryptonian retreat; I recognize the ruins of it all across the landscape. But now that Zod has the payload of the Admiral Byrd, he very well may be able to cull together the rest of the raw materials from what was in the fortress to construct an echo-bomb.”

They all exchanged looks of profound concern.

“Who is this General Zod?” Max growled. “What will he want?”

Superman looked grave. “Of course, what I know of Kryptonian history, I know only from the records my father sent with me. But it appears that Zod is an almost mythological figure in Kryptonian history. My people are especially long-lived, and Zod plagued them for centuries, choosing a new Hound and Tigress from each generation. He’s the closest equivalent my people had to an antichrist. He was never stopped or captured, until the very end.” He suddenly looked even more uncomfortable. “And if he’s on Earth, he and his minions, as we’ve already seen, will have all of the powers and abilities that I do.”

“My god, we’re doomed….” Someone muttered.

“No!” Superman said sharply, “Fear and intimidation are his greatest weapons. Zod can be stopped. My father proved that. We just can’t waste any time. We have to get to him before he can convert those nukes.”

“Right!” Max nodded sharply, decisively. “Sam, ready the Sixth and Seventh Fleets immediately. All ships to converge on Antarctica. I want aircraft carriers, subs, the Marines, a full assault force! Anything we can bring to bear in 24 hours to dislodge this maniac and kick him the hell off Earth!”

“Sir, yes sir!” The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs stood and saluted smartly, pivoting and marching from the room.

“With all due respect, Mr. President,” Superman warned. “That will have as much effect on Zod and his Tigress as it would, well, on me. In fact, you’d only be giving him more ammunition.”

“The combined military might of the United States of America is no mean thing! Do you have a better idea, Superman?” Snapped the Secretary of Defense.

“Let me go in first. See if I can take down Zod and the Tigress before you open up Armageddon at the South Pole.”

The Secretary snorted dubiously. “By yourself? There’s two of them, son! And you were very nearly taken down by just one of them not an hour ago…”

“I know,” Superman rubbed his jaw ruefully. “But I think I know where I can get some help…”

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As Superman arced into the sky over Washington, D.C., his super-sensitive hearing picked up the radio transmission that was beamed simultaneously all across the planet.

“People of Earth, hear me! I am Zod. I have chosen this world as the capitol of my galactic empire, and do hereby now decree that the leaders of your city-states shall come unto me in the southernmost continent and do me obeisance. If this is not done in one planetary revolution, I shall unleash an apocalypse upon the Earth and lay it utterly to waste. Rejoice, cretins, for your savior has come. Rejoice and kneel before Zod!”

Clenching his jaw tightly, Superman streaked across the sky, shattering the sound barrier.

He had little doubt that Zod would carry through on his threat. If he was going to defeat the Destroyer of Worlds, he needed help.

Pouring on an extra burst of speed, he made for Fawcett City…

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To be continued...

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