Action Comics #660 (December 1990)
Action Comics #660 (December 1990)
And so ends the year 1990, and with it… LUTHOR’S LIFE! Yes, it’s here: the second most shocking Superman story starting with the words “The Death of.” I’m gonna do something a little different for this issue, because I seriously think this is one of the most tightly plotted comics I’ve ever read (Superman or otherwise) and a regular write up wouldn’t do it justice. Here’s Action Comics #660, page by page:
Page 1:
We start with Lex Luthor sitting in his office, and immediately we get a sense that he’s close to death because of the IV connected to his arm. Also, because the Grim Reaper is literally standing right behind Lex, about to chop off his head with a scythe.
Page 2:
Luthor manages to duck the Reaper’s attack and protests his intentions: He still has so much to do with his life! Like kill Superman, or find a cure for baldness! The Reaper has Luthor cornered against a wall, but then the always opportune Sydney Happersen comes into the office. Luthor lets his most faithful employee know exactly how much he values him:
Page 3:
Happersen goes through the Grim Reaper’s body with a shriek, and comes out the other side as a skeleton. The Reaper wanted Lex, though. Lex tries to put up a fight and manages to pull off the Reaper’s cowl, and beneath it is the face of… Clark Kent, without glasses!
Page 4:
Superdeath effortlessly slices off the top of LexCorp’s L-shaped building with his exceptionally sharp scythe, remarking that soon, Lex’s entire empire will crumble. He then lets Luthor fall to his death, as he yells “Not me! Not Lex Luthor!” What, does Lex think he should be exempt from dying? (Yes, he does.)
Page 5:
It was all a dream! Phew! Except the part about Lex being about to die. He wakes up in a medical station as his personal physician, Dr. Gretchen Kelley, performs his chemotherapy treatment. The first panel below concisely explains Lex’s motivation and the origin of his current predicament (the kryptonite ring he started wearing all the way back in Superman #2):
Page 6:
Change scene: We see the newly engaged Lois Lane and Clark Kent looking quite satisfied and telling each other “that was wonderful.” Lois: “When I accepted your proposal, I had no idea–” (pull back to reveal they’re sitting in a restaurant) “–that you knew so many scrumptious restaurants.” Lois gets a call on her brick-sized cellular phone telling her there’s a fire on an old brewery, so she goes off to cover the story. Clark changes into Superman…
Page 7:
…just so he can “run into” Lois as she argues with a cabbie and offer to fly her to the burning brewery. Then he “notices” the engagement ring and congratulates her – because, yep, Lois still doesn’t know she’s marrying Superman. Superman is starting to feel bad about lying to his fiancee every single day since the moment they met, but not bad enough that he’d confess to her right now.
Page 8:
Action scene time! At the burning brewery, a fireman named Frankie falls through the floor, gets trapped and thinks he’s a goner. Then a voice tells him not to worry. The one speaking is…
Page 9:
Gangbuster! Haha, no, he’d already be dead if he was in there. It’s Superman, who saves Frankie and then talks with another fireman: the fire has spread too much, there’s no way to save the building.
“–I’m going home, Dallas is about to start.”
Page 10:
Superman flies away… only to come back with a container full of water. Then, as a TV report informs us, another, and another, and another. The point of this whole sequence, besides reminding us of the engagement plot, is that even in an impossible situation, Superman’s specialty is “finding a way.” And that’s something he has in common with…
Page 11:
Lex Luthor, once again in office, is getting angry at the TV coverage of the brewery fire, since he owns that beer company (and the TV station lambasting it). Lex’s empire is already falling, like Deathman said in the dream. He laments not having a successor to leave LexCorp to – Jerry White could have been one, but 1) Lex never recognized him as his son (hence the “White” name), and 2) he’s dead.
Dr. Kelley interrupts Lex’s morbid thoughts to tell him to take it easy. Lex: “Ah, Kelley, where would I be without you?” Which leads us to…
Page 12:
Kelley thinking: “Where would I be if not for you…” We see a summary of her whole life: from small town doctor, to Luthor’s lover, to bitter alcoholic, to Luthor’s property. All in one page. That’s interesting, but why are we hearing Kelley’s story now? All will make sense in due time. #rogersternplaysthelonggame
Page 13:
In the present, Kelley thinks out loud: “What you need is a miracle worker.” She reminds Lex (and us) that he has a year to live at most, and leaves him to sulk alone once again. Lex grabs a scale mode of the LexWing airplane that started his empire (a seemingly inconsequential detail Byrne introduced in Superman #13) and remembers: HE used to be the miracle worker. Then, the issue’s turning point:
Page 14:
Lex calls a press conference to announce he’ll pilot a LexWing plane once again to break the speed record for flying around the world. The press are like “Aren’t you… dying, and stuff?” but Lex gets Dr. Kelley to lie about his health. Plus, he’ll be accompanied by a young pilot Hotshot McHandsome (or something), in case anything goes wrong.
Page 15:
The press leaves as Lex and Hotshot board the plane (yeah, the conference happened in the airport, to save on panels). Before getting on the plane, Lex says to Kelley he plans to “give this world something to remember!” Among the reporters is the Daily Planet’s Keith the Racist – and speaking of which, we then cut to Lois and Clark sharing an elevator with Jimmy Olsen as they arrive on the Planet offices. They mention to Jimmy that they don’t wanna make a big deal out of their engagement. Which, of course, means…
Page 16:
…that Jimmy arranged a surprise party for them. Goddammit, Jimmy. Incidentally, we see Allie the intern during the party but Whit didn’t bother to show up, confirming my long-held belief that he secretly loves Clark. He’s probably crying in the bathroom. Better watch your ass, Lane.
Page 17:
Luthor and his co-pilot are crossing the ocean, when Lex asks Hotshot if he’d like to visit the islands one day. McHandsome says sure – at which point Lex ejects him from the plane and speeds away, saying “Now let’s see what this baby can really do!”
Page 18:
Also not at the party: Perry White, because he’s in his office, being depressed about Jerry’s death. Clark and Lois come in to let him know they’re always there for him. I think it’s significant that both Lex and Perry’s current moods are kicked off by the same event, with the difference that Perry’s friends/employees don’t secretly resent him for being an evil jerk.
Page 19:
Peru, South America. A man with a poncho watches the LexWing go down over the Andes, and down, and down, and… POP! Someone uncorks a bottle of champagne.
Page 20:
Racist Keith arrives the Planet just in time for the champagne, although he’s more worried about missing out on the party food. Alas, his plan to eat cake is derailed when the TV announces that Luthor’s plane crashed in the Andes. Lois turns to Clark, but he’s already flying halfway across the world in his blue pajamas.
Page 21:
Superman is skeptical about the accident, until he finds Lex’s body. Or what’s left of it.
Page 22:
And then… it was a dream, right? Nope! Through another TV broadcast, the last page goes over Lex being declared dead, his funeral and the world mourning the DC Universe’s version of Bill Gates, Donald Trump and Lord Voldemort rolled into one. Dr. Kelley angrily admits that Lex was dying, but says that it doesn’t make sense that he’d off himself like that.
And the thing is, she’s right! But we won’t find out exactly what happened for another year and a half. For all intents and purposes, Lex Luthor died exactly like this comic described it.
The amazing thing about this issue is that it manages to cover Lex’s crazy dream, his depression, euphoria, death and the world’s reaction to that while also including the engagement celebrations, Kelley’s secret origin, Perry White moping about, and even an action scene with Superman vs. a fire (this is still Action Comics, after all), all in only 22 pages. I’m pretty sure there’s more plot here than on the double-sized Superman #50, or on a full present-day Superman TPB, for that matter. I bow to you, Roger Stern, and to Superman editor Mike Carlin (and that has nothing to do with Mr. Carlin apparently leaving a comment in this blog the other day) (OK, maybe that has a little to do with it).