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He stood staring up into the sky, his face resolute. This wasn't his world. These weren't his people....but yet, they were. They were people that needed help, needed protection.

They needed a Superman.

He flew up into the sky, fists clenched, knuckles cracking. He streaked like a comet, red and blue colors shifting in his wake. The enemy was before him, the vanguard of a massive invading force that threatened to enslave the entire Daxamite race for the evil Darkseid of Apokolips. Parademons clouded the sky, nearly blotting out the sun. The time for negotiation was over. Kenny Braverman, Clark Kent's former childhood friend, now a mad thrall of Darkseid reincarnated as the Kryptonian General Zod , floated at the head of the invasion, joined by a figure familiar to Kal-El. He was one Sollis of New Genesis, the New God called Lightray. Now he claimed to be a being called Eclipsis, and was joined by a pair of Apokaliptians. Kenny...Zod... and Sollis were beyond negotiation. They were beyond saving.

It was time for Action.

 

The Man of Steel #9
“The Eclipse”
By Tony Thornley and Mike Hintze

 

The sky of Daxam erupted with the sound of thunder. Waves of Daxamites collided with one another mixed with the forces of the dark world of Apokolips and the emerald energy of the Green Lantern Corps. At the head of one of the armies, a red and blue garbed figure ran head-first into the fray. At the other was an armored figure, garbed in a manner that evoked the traditions of Daxam, Krypton and Apokalips.

"KILL THEM!" yelled Zod, the man once known as Ken Braverman. At his command, the Parademons drew their weapons, energy lances, blades and cannons...and began to assault the assembled Daxamite forces. The capital city of Daxam had been leveled by the attack, and now they saw the chance to eradicate the enemy once and for all. The Parademons were thought to be mindless drones, but they were in fact genetically engineered soldiers designed to kill at the slightest order. Loyal to Darkseid and his lieutenants, the Parademons cared for nothing but the order to be given and the opportunity to conquer.

“Hold the line,” Superman screamed, lashing out with his fists against the waves of Parademons. “Hold the line!” A flash of heat vision burst from his eyes, vaporizing one of the green and yellow constructs. He lashed out with his fists, sweeping aside the minions of Darkseid, over and over again.

Superman slammed through the onslaught of warriors, making a direct line for Zod. Braverman had once tried to kill Clark and his loved ones and died as a result. Now, Darkseid had brought him back for an even worse purpose, the enslavement of an entire race. He had to be stopped...and Clark didn't know how far he would have to go to see the evil of Zod and Darkseid stopped.

The Parademons were flung around like ragdolls, armor crunching behind his fists. Superman was coming closer...closer...

"THIS IS ENOUGH, KENNY!" yelled Clark as he made impact with Zod. The force was so great Parademons were flung back from the shockwave. Zod went flying into the ground below, an immense crater forming in the rubble of the destroyed cityscape.

Zod slowly got up, shaking his head as he regained his bearings. He found himself being lifted from the ground by his throat. Superman stood holding him up, his blue and red costume standing out amidst the dirt and rubble. His eyes glowed red with power and rage.

"This ends here, Kenny," said Superman. "No one else dies because of you...or Darkseid."

"This ends," said Zod, "When I say it ends..." Zod broke Superman's grip and punched him in the chest, sending the Man of Steel flying through more rubble. "And I say it ends...with your head on a pike!"

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Karen Starr and Conner Kent stood in shock in the Daxam capitol city. The two looked back at each other, then the alien landscape around them. Conner ran his hand through his hair.

“What the hell?” Power Girl muttered. She looked at Conner again, and realized a red-ish aura was fading from his body. “Conner, was that…?” Superboy looked down at his hands, then back at her.

“I-I think it was,” he said. He shook his head and looked around. “This is Daxam. I don't know how I know that, but… it is.”

“What the hell?” Karen muttered. Before Conner could respond, there was a shriek and a blast of energy threw the two apart. Both spun to their attackers. Power Girl sneered and Superboy scowled.

“For Darkseid!” the parademons shrieked.

“Whatever,” Conner growled, jumping into the air.

“Oh yeah,” Karen agreed.

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His armor was jet black, with crimson energy seeping from the joints like a sickly steam. His eyes glowed red. He said nothing. His presence said it all. He was called The Fallen , and his nature was to kill.

Lar Gand, the Daxamite hero known as Valor, floated before the Fallen. Valor was as powerful as Superman, as was the whole of the Daxamite race when exposed to a yellow sun. He had faced some of the most deadly threats in the universe...but when faced with the Fallen, he could feel the malevolence as if it were a physical force. Valor knew little of this killer, but he knew he was a servant of Darkseid...and that was all he needed to know.

"I'll say this once," said Valor. "Surrender and live. Continue this...and I can't guarantee your survival, God or no."

The Fallen said nothing. He flexed his hands, the armor that encapsulated him creaking as it moved. A blur of movement, and the battle was joined. The Fallen struck Valor in the face before the Daxamite could react, sending Valor flying end over end. He righted himself, and looked to find The Fallen again. He saw no sign of the killer, just Parademons flying all over. His fellow Daxamites were handling themselves well enough, but there were still lives being lost. Darkseid was not going to let Daxam go without a serious fight.

A black blur caught Valor's eye and he barely moved out of the way before the Fallen's spiked gauntlet came flying at his face again. Valor reached out and gripped the Fallen's armor at one of the joints, trying to grip it and tear it off. The crimson energy sent a jolt through Valor's body, pain flashing through his being. He let the Fallen go as his body convulsed. As he did, the Fallen turned and slammed Valor into the ground below.

Valor sped to the ground, and as he did so...he thought that the energy he had been hit with had felt...familiar?

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"Form a line, poozers!" yelled the Green Lantern named Kilowog. The four other Green Lanterns he had brought with him were all focusing their power rings alongside Kilowog. Together, the Green Lanterns were creating a perimeter that was protecting Daxamites from the attacking Parademons. Kilowog watched as Superman and Valor faced Zod and the Fallen. He wanted to back them up, but the lives of the innocent Daxamites was paramount.

A broad energy beam struck the emerald shield. The New God now named Eclipsis was controlling the energy...but the beam wasn't trying to shatter the shield. Kilowog felt his control over the shield begin to waver. A pair of the other Green Lanterns' faces went white with shock.

"He's taking control of the ring energy!" one panicked.

"Stand firm!" said Kilowog. "Maintain control and focus!" He was finding it harder and harder to do so, however. Despite his immense willpower, Eclipsis was slowly taking control of the ring energy. That should have been impossible...

"Hold the line!" yelled Kilowog. "Hold it!"

“How about some back up?!” came a cry. There was a flash of white and red, and Power Girl tackled Eclipsis violently. She pinned him to the ground and began to pummel the New God. She quickly knocked him unconscious. She stood and picked him up by the lapel.

“Some god,” she grumbled. Suddenly a thick band wrapped around her neck and yanked her backwards. The Female Fury known as Lashina smiled gleefully as she yanked again, tightening the band around Power Girl's neck and beginning to choke her.

“We are the legions of Apokolips!” she hissed. “We are not so easily bested.”

“You sure?” Lashina turned and was met by Superboy's fist. She flew backwards and slammed into the green shield. He flew forward, his arms folded.

“That sure looked like getting bested,” Power Girl growled, tearing the band from her neck and standing.

“Merely the element of surprise,” Lashina growled. She lunged forward, but found herself unable to move. She struggled further, but was stunned to realize that bonds had formed from the Lantern's energy shield, holding her in place.

“NO!” she shrieked. “We are gods! We are your betters! We are the Anti-Life!”

“You're just full of shit,” Power Girl muttered and punched her in the face. Lashina blinked several times, then slumped over. Karen turned to her other captive, but was stunned to see him gone.

“Where did he go?” she asked. Superboy shrugged.

“Damn,” Kilowog replied. “Look.” They turned to see Eclipsis rocketing towards where Superman and Zod traded blows. The battle between Valor and the Fallen also drew closer to Superman.

“Son of a bitch!” Superboy growled. Power Girl and Superboy both rocketed away, and Kilowog glanced at the younger GL's.

“Stay here,” he growled. “Hold the line!” With that, he flew away to join the other heroes.

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The blows exchanged between Superman and Zod sent shockwaves around them with each impact. The fight was wearing on them both, and with every crack of his armor, a bit of the Kryptonite radiation filling Zod's body seeped out, starting to weaken Superman. Clark back-handed Zod and took several steps back. He needed to end this and quickly, before Braverman was able to push the advantage he had.

“Leave this world alone,” Clark growled. “It's not your world to take.”

“My master desires this world,” Zod growled. He tore his helmet off. Clark was stunned for a moment. His appearance had changed slightly, now an amalgamation of Zod and Kenny's own appearance. It was as if Zod was turning into Kenny. The green-K radiation was stronger now too. Clark blinked as his head began swimming.

“I won't let you have it,” he hissed. “The Daxamites are a mighty and proud people that will not be ruled by YOU!”

“It's time that I prove you wrong, Clark!” Superman frowned.

“Kenny?” he whispered. Zod shook his head, and began looking around, disoriented. Something was happening. He looked at Superman, looking more like Ken Braverman more and more by the second.

“Clark?” he whispered. He shook his head. “Darkseid brought me back. He brought me… to kill you.” He scowled. “I will obey my master's wishes!” He rushed forward and slammed into Superman. His breath was knocked out of him, but he acted quickly and slammed his elbow down onto Kenny's back. He cried out in pain, and the two flew into a pile of rubble. Kenny staggered back and Clark stood. Clark was stunned to see Kenny's appearance was fully his own now, and his skin had begun to glow green. He looked up at Clark, tears in his eye.

“I'm sorry, Clark,” he said. “I'm sorry. Help m- ARGH!” Kenny's skin began to crack, seeping green-K radiation. Clark's whole body began to ache, and he felt like he was going to throw up. He looked up as the cracks spread over Kenny's body, until finally it fully enveloped him. The body exploded, leaving only a man-shaped energy being of pure Kryptonite energy. Clark's head screamed as the being stood in front of him for several seconds before rocketing into the sky and disappearing. As soon as it was gone, the overwhelming Kryptonite sickness left his body, and he took several deep breaths.

He stood and turned slowly, surveying the battlefield. The Daxamites seemed to be winning, pushing back the Parademons. He smiled. They were winning.

“Superman, look ou-“ He turned a split second too late, catching the brunt of Eclipsis' energy blast. He instantly felt drained, power draining out of his body. He looked up to see Eclipsis standing over him, smiling.

“Hello Kal-El,” he said. “How we've missed you. How we hoped to see you here. Lar Gand played the perfect dupe, bringing you exactly how we hoped he would. Now, feel the power of Anti-Life.” The pain from Eclipsis' attack suddenly intensified, causing Clark to cry out.

“Lightray!” he screamed. “I know you're in there! Listen to me! You are Sollis of New Genesis! You are one of the New Gods! You worked with the Justice League. You fought alongside the heroes of Earth on multiple occasions. Listen to me!”

“I know who I am Kal-El,” he said. “You do not. I was shown the glory of just a portion of Anti-Life. I know my allegiances were wrong for all these millennia. My master is Darkseid now. And you shall fall before him.”

“Not likely.” The Apokaliptian creature called the Fallen slammed into Eclipsis, throwing them both away in a heap. Valor hovered over both New Gods, his arms folded. Power Girl, Superboy and Kilowog joined them as Superman stood.

“I am Lar Gand of Daxam,” he growled. “This is my world, and you will leave immediately, or I will remove you.” Valor's eyes began to glow red. “Go.”

“Release Lashina to us,” Eclipsis growled.

“You are in no position to negotiate,” Superman said. “You heard what he said. Leave. Now.” Eclipsis scowled at them both and stood.

“This is not the end Kal-El,” he said. He pulled a Mother Box from his belt and pressed a toggle. “It is simply the beginning. And I will taste your blood on that day.” A Boom Tube opened behind them with its signature sound.

“Lightray, my friend, I will release you from this prison,” Superman said. “And I look forward to that day.”

“It will never come.” Eclipsis stepped backwards into the Tube, followed by the Fallen. The Tube vanished with another massive concussion. Superman collapsed to the ground and took several deep breaths. The quartet around him quickly gathered at his side. Clark looked up at Power Girl and Superboy and smiled.

“How the hell did the two of you get here?” he asked.

“Haven't the foggiest,” Superboy said.

“Well, thanks,” he replied. “I needed you here. Lois?”

“You're a father Kal,” Karen replied with a grin. “A beautiful little girl.” Superman smiled.

“I can't wait to see her.”

Kilowog laughed heartily. “Neither can I poozer!” he said. “Congratulations! I need to buy you an ale next time I'm on Earth!”

Superman smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twenty-four hours later, the trio of Earth heroes stood on the boarding ramp of a Daxamite ship. The Green Lanterns had created a yellow sun radiation generator to recharge Superman, an action that had helped him greatly. Valor walked up to Superman as he gazed over the capitol city.

“You're ready to go,” he said. “Safe journey Kal-El.”

“Thank you Lar,” he said. “What is next for your people?”

“Zod's followers have been gathered together,” he said. “Our next step is trying the war criminals. It will be a long process, but we'll get there.” Valor paused and looked over the city. “Kal… be careful. There was something familiar about the Fallen, something dangerous. Obviously, Darkseid is growing more powerful if he can corrupt a being as pure and innocent as Lightray.”

“Thank you,” Clark said. “I will be. Can I rely on you if I need help?”

“Any time my friend,” Valor replied with a smile. “Now get on that ship. There's a youngling waiting on Earth to meet her father for the first time.” Superman laughed.

“And her father is thrilled to see her,” Clark said. “Farewell Valor.”

“The same to you, Kal-El.” The two men stepped away from each other, and Superman stepped onto the ship. The boarding ramp closed and the ship lifted off and rocketed into the sky.

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Epilogue 1

Darkseid stood with his hands clasped behind his back. The ruler of Apokalips listened to Eclipsis carefully, nodding every so often during his subordinate's report. Eclipsis stopped and looked up at his master. It was some time before Darkseid spoke.

“Kal-El will be dealt with, Sollis,” he finally said. “Contact Desaad and Kanto. It is time that our plans with Earth begin to move forward.”

“Yes, my lord.”

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Epilogue 2

He sat alone on the barren piece of space rock. How long he sat there, he didn't know. If what he did could even be considered sitting, he didn't know either. All Kenny Braverman knew was hate. Now an energy being of pure Kryptonite radiation, he had the power to at last kill Clark Kent.

“We're not over,” he whispered to himself. “Far from it.”

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Epilogue 3

Hank Henshaw smiled. The time had come, and he was ready. His master had given him the word, and the word of Solaris was law.

“Thy will be done,” he whispered. “I will destroy Kal-El.”

END OF VOLUME 1. CONTINUED IN VOLUME 2- SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW

Author's notes-

Took me long enough, didn't it? This issue took over a year and a half for me to complete. I hope it was worth the wait.

Mike Hintze deserves mad props for this issue. He gave me a kick start on the first half, which is a mixture of both mine and Mike's work. You probably would never be reading this issue without Mike's help. Mike's been fantastic to work with, and I look forward to continuing on at DCI.

Stay tuned for the Superman relaunch, Man of Tomorrow. As I'm writing these words, I'm already six pages into the first issue of Man of Tomorrow. I can promise you a renewed focus in that title on Clark Kent, in both of his guises. These nine issues have 100% been a Superman Family title, and while that element won't be completely going away, the book is about Superman. That's what you'll see in the new Man of Tomorrow volume. It's some of the most fun I've had writing, and I hope it'll be the same in reading.

Thanks!

Tony