All Metallo intended on doing was serving out his sentence in prison, but Lex Luthor has other plans for the Superman villain in Action Comics.
In the six-part "Kal-El Returns" crossover, Clark Kent arrives back on Earth and brings Warworld into the planet's orbit, prompting Lex Luthor to visit the alien world and steal some of its advanced technology. He intends on using what he found to make Metallo on par with the Man of Steel, but the villain has no interest in working for Luthor and tells him off. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and illustrated by Mike Perkins, a preview for Action Comics #1049 -- Part 5 of "Kal-El Returns" -- shows that Lex won't take no for an answer, and is willing to hurt Metallo's sister, Tracy Corben, to get what he wants.
ACTION COMICS #1049
- Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
- Art by MIKE PERKINS
- Backup art by DAVID LAPHAM
- Cover by STEVE BEACH
- Variant cover by NATHAN SZERDY
- ’90s Cover Month variant cover by ROGER CRUZ
- 1:25 Kal-El Returns arc variant cover by MARIO “FOX” FOCCILLO
- $4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
- ON SALE 11/22/22
- “KAL-EL RETURNS” PART 5—THE EPIC CROSSOVER BETWEEN ACTION COMICS AND SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL CONTINUES!
- We’re only one month away from the mammoth Action Comics #1050, and tensions between the Super-Family and Lex Luthor have never been higher. Meanwhile, in the Fortress of Solitude, Steel, Supergirl, and Kong Kenan repel an alien invasion!
At the end of the prior Action Comics #1048, Metallo is told by the guards of Stryker's Island Penitentiary that his sister didn't show up for her usual weekly visit, asking the villain, "Thought she never missed a Sunday?" The aforementioned preview reveals that Luthor orchestrated the murder of Tracy's fiancé and another man, and framed Tracy for the crime. Lex informs Metallo of this and that Tracy now resides in a Lexcorp-funded prison, threatening the villain, "I'll ensure she gets a sympathetic judge, if you do what you're told."
When "Kal-El Returns" was first announced by DC, Johnson promised readers "the strongest and scariest Metallo you've ever seen." The writer said of developing the villain, "There's a really scary, complex, interesting version of him I've been wanting to show readers for a long time," adding that "his origins, his motivations, and his power set are all overdue for a deep-dive refresh." Metallo is one of a few antagonists that appear in "Kal-El Returns," being that Clark Kent is also taking on New Gods while his son, Superman Jon Kent, faces the newcomer villain Red Sin.
DC Comics Is Releasing Three Superman Series in 2023
Metallo will be a main villain for Action Comics moving forward, which will get a format change come Jan. 2023. The title will begin to focus on other members of the Super-Family -- such as Supergirl, Superboy, Steel and Super-Man of China -- as they transform Metropolis into a city of the future. Action Comics will be one of three Superman-related series releasing in 2023, joined by the new Superman ongoing series by writer Joshua Williamson and artist Jamal Campbell, as well as Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent, a miniseries by writer Tom Taylor and artist Clayton Henry.
Along with Johnson and Perkins, Action Comics #1049 is colored by Lee Loughridge and lettered by Dave Sharpe. Main cover art for the issue is by Dave Sharpe, with variant cover artwork contributed to by Mario Foccillo, Prasad Rao, Nathan Szerdy, Roger Cruz and Mat Lopes. This issue goes on sale Nov. 22 from DC Comics.
Source: DC Comics