Adventures of Superman #466 (May 1990)
Adventures of Superman #466 (May 1990)
Superman vs. the Fantastic Four! Well, sort of. The concept of this issue is: “What would REALLY happen if four astronauts were affected by cosmic rays”? The answer, of course, is “They would die horrible deaths.” Yep, it’s a fun issue.
We first met the crew of the NASA shuttle Excalibur last issue, when the experiments they were doing with solar radiation went wrong and they came crashing down to earth. Apparently they spent several days falling, because they only arrive now and emerge from the wreckage transformed into freaks: one is a rock monster, another is made out of hot energy, the only female member is fading out of reality, and the leader, Hank Henshaw, got… white hair. Also, the mutant power to say “indeed” a lot.
Since the materials of the experiment were built by LexCorp, the Radioactive Four decide to head to the LexCorp building to see if they can find a cure before they die. Luthor’s armored security guards are like “yeah, right” and a fight ensues, which is later joined by Superman (who thinks he may have caused the solar flares by throwing the Eradicator into the sun). By the time they explain to Superman what’s happening and reach a lab, the team starts dying off: the energy guy goes crazy and flies into the sun, the woman is fading out and Hank is aging into a talking skeleton.
Hank manages to set up a radiation chamber to cure the others, right before his body dies in front of a computer. Hank’s wife gets there in time and is saved… but the weeping rock dude couldn’t bear the pain for another two minutes and commits suicide in a magnetic resonance booth:
Holy crap, that got dark. But hey, at least it wasn’t Superman’s fault after all!
Character-Watch:
Note that I said that Hank’s “body” died… because his mind is still alive. He’ll be back soon, and then not so soon and in a much bigger role. It’s funny that Hank talks exactly like Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four in this issue, but in a few years he’ll be talking more like Doctor Doom.
Plotline-Watch:
Lois Lane and Clark Kent finally have a dinner date in this issue, but it’s full sitcom-esque setbacks: Lois’ sister Lucy doesn’t approve of Clark because he’s such a nerd; Perry White and his wife Alice show up, leading to an awkward moment (Alice calls Clark a backstabber for quitting the Planet); and then, of course, four radioactive guys attack LexCorp and Lois has to go cover it, leaving Clark alone to watch the stove.
Lucy says that seeing Clark reminded her of Jimmy Olsen, so she’ll look him up for a date. So… seeing someone she doesn’t like made her think of Jimmy? That makes sense to me.
Morgan Edge has a clandestine meeting with Intergangster “Ugly” Mannheim, who tells him they put a hit on Edge’s ex, Cat Grant, so she doesn’t testify against Intergang. Meanwhile, and in light of that, Cat reluctantly meets her new bodyguard: Jose “Gangbuster” Delgado.
The Misadventures of Jose Delgado: Speaking of Jose, this issue contains a historic scene in Superman history that is also the ultimate Delgado Bad Luck moment. After visiting Cat, Jose heads to Lois Lane’s place to let her know he lost his apartment and is living at the YMCA – you know, in case Lois wants to get back with him, so she knows where to find him. Jose arrives just in time to watch as Clark, moved by what happened to Hank Henshaw and his wife, kisses Lois for the first time ever (smooching as Superman doesn’t count).
Classic.
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