Metropolis has been destroyed and the Joker is to blame. The Joker just used a hallucinogenic to make Superman think he was fighting Doomsday when he was really fighting Lois Lane. So Superman went and took what he thought was Doomsday into space and killed Lois. When Lois' heart stopped it set off a nuke that destroyed Superman's home Metropolis. Millions of people died. If that wasn't bad enough, Lois Lane was pregnant with Superman's baby. Superman accidentally caused the death of millions, but the lives that hurt more than any had to have been his wife and unborn child's.
The Justice League apprehend Joker and Harley Quinn before they could escape and bring them into custody. While Batman is interrogating the Joker in a holding cell he asked why he would turn his attention to Superman when it was always between the two of them. Joker said he was tired of losing so he decided to "Play the game on easy". Superman shows up moments later and doesn't say a word. Superman just grabs Joker and punches a hole right through his chest. Superman had broke his one rule and killed the Joker. All Batman could do was stand there stunned at what he had just saw. Superman broke his one rule. He took someone's life.
While in transport in a police car, Harley Quinn escapes and makes he way back to one of Her and Joker's former hideouts. Green Arrow intercepts her and takes her to his hide, the Arrow Cave (Which Harley Quinn points out is a stupid name and how he should call it "The Quiver). Harley Quinn asks him why he bothered to save her and asked if he thought she deserved to die. Arrow tells her he understands her situation and explains that sometimes people do things for people that they love even though they treat them poorly. He also tells her that he isn't doing it to just save her, he's doing it to save his friend's soul.
Meanwhile, Superman is in the Fortress of Solitude morning the death of his city, wife, and unborn child listening to the news reporting about the devastation and the death of Joker. Superman then hears that a president of a foreign country is about to fire a missile on his own people. Superman looks up and says "Enough" and flies to the country and stops the missile before it can hit a young child. The mother and son continuously thank him for saving them and their town. Superman apologizes for not being there for them and promises that it won't happen again. Superman goes right into the presidents home and goes right through the guards and takes the president out of his home and brings him to the town he almost destroys.
The president tells him that he can't do that because he is the president. Superman rips the president's shirt off and says "Not anymore". Wonder Woman flies down out of nowhere and approaches Superman and warns him that there are cameras around. Superman tells her he has something to say, but she advises him to clean the Joker's blood and clean himself up and then address the world. Wonder Woman tells Superman that she will sat up a press conference for him. Superman agrees and flies away.
Later, Superman shows up at the United Nations cleaned up and ready to address the world. Superman first tells the world the he is really Clark Kent. He then says "As a journalist, I spent too much time writing about evil in the world. As a hero, I have spent too much time reacting to evils already perpetrated. No more." Superman gets angry and crushes a corner of the podium and says "What happened yesterday can never be allowed to happen again. Monsters can no longer roam free among us.". Superman then says he no longer cares about the petty squabbles of the world and is calling for a world-wide ceasefire and then says "All hostiles will stop immediately--or I will stop them".
image source "gawkerassets.com"
The U.S. Government doesn't take kindly to threats and responds by having a villain named Mirror Master kidnap Clark Kent's parents and trap them in his universe. Wonder Woman assembles the Justice League and asks them to help her find his parents. After going after a few villains, they eventually find Mirror Master and Superman frees his parents. Back at the White House, the president is confronted by Batman and tells him that going after his parents will unite them. The president notices and calls Batman out by saying "Them" and not "Us". Batman tells him that Superman is just trying to bring about peace. The president then asks him how will he keep the peace, because absolute power corrupts.
Rating: 10
Seriously, there is nothing negative I can say about this run so far and I am a big time Marvel Comics guy. It was suggested to me, I checked it out, and almost immediately downloaded every issue that came out. Seeing Superman as a tyrant was a new twist and seeing him being manipulated later on in the book was just as shocking. What the writer did with Batman was also very different. Batman wasn't this indestructible character that had a plan for everything. Sometimes he won, sometimes he lost, and sometimes even when he won, he still ended up losing. The biggest surprise was how much Harley Quinn was involved in the story. I assumed she'd be in and out and she ends up being a major part of the story.
If you've played the game, you know how the story ends. Even if you do know how it ends, it is totally worth reading. There are some ups and a lot of downs in this book and a bonus is you get to find out what happened to all of the villains and heroes that weren't in the game and why certain characters aren't who they once were. Definitely worth reading.
