His world exploded before his birth. Propelled by a futuristic craft powered by a science beyond mans comprehension he arrived on our world as a baby. Raised as a human by loving, caring parents who instilled in him the difference between right and wrong, he derives his powers from our yellow sun that give him enormous and unheard of abilities! His massive strength and incomprehensible powers are matched only by the great and true heart that beats within his chest! He is one of the most powerful champions for truth, justice, and the American way that has ever lived! A man from the stars ever seeking to make the Earth his home, and to protect that home from evils no one else would have a glimmer of hope against! He is the man of steel, the man of tomorrow...he is...

Superman #27

By Ralph L. Angelo, Jr.

New day dawning

He flies high above the city he loves! Soaring through the clouds, each arm thrown backwards, and grasping a corner of his red cape, as he arcs high above Metropolis to bask in the suns warmth a mile above the city.

Floating there a moment, Superman is content. He is happy. A month ago Clark Kent and his wife Lois celebrated the birth of their first child, a boy named Jonathan Clark Kent, and since then, Metropolis has been quiet. Superman smiles as he thinks of the blessings in his life. This being the best of all. A wife he loves passionately, a child to carry on the name of Kent, as well as his Kryptonian heritage, and the little blessings like a stress free month without more then a few petty criminals, that Metropolis's finest had no trouble handling.

As he soars to the periphery of his arc, he begins to rocket downwards, back towards Metropolis, his arms thrust in front of him, a broad smile on his face, Superman heads back to his city to complete one more high speed sweep before heading home. Yes, Metropolis has been quiet of late. That is all about to change!

Thrung!

Superman slams into an invisible barrier that defies even his vision!

"What the?" He asks no one aloud. "Some sort of force field," He thinks to himself as he cocks his right fist back and unloads a haymaker at the transparent energy field blocking his entrance to the city.

BOOM!

The punch unleashes a wild cornucopia of colors as it connects to the glowing dome, but nothing more.

"Incredible! I hit that field hard, yet it hardly vibrated from my punch. This is bad, very bad,"

Then, an unfamiliar face appears etched in the surface of the invisible force field. An older man, wrinkled and wizened with a tall crown upon his head, hair shot full of grey beneath the crown, and a goatee also speckled with grey adorns his lined face.

"You who attacks my city, beware! This city is now under the protection of Lord Necromance! You would do well to be on your way, lest I slay you where you stand!"

"I don't know who you are mister, but that's my city you're commandeering. You better crawl back to whatever hole you crawled out of. There are people I care about in there, and nothing, I mean NOTHING is going to keep me from them!"

As he speaks, Superman flies away quickly, then turns a half-mile away, roaring back towards the dome at an incalculable speed! He connects with an ear splitting

BOOM!

The dome lights up all the way around, showing its circumference for the first time. But then it quickly cracks apart like shattered glass and instantly dissipates!

"Who are you, flying man to attack the home of Lord Necromance with such disdain? I will have your head adorning a parapet on the cities gates this evening!"

"I don't think so, friend." Superman replies as he soars down to street level, where everyone is staring skywards and pointing at him as he flies by, waving thankfully.

"What is going on here?" He thinks as he soars towards the Daily Planet, seeking answers.

The voice of Lord Necromance suddenly booms across the city itself!

"You will not defeat my machinations that easily, strange one. You fly, so do my winged warriors!"

Suddenly the sky in Metropolis's east end turns black as night, and Superman immediately activates his telescopic vision to see; "Some kind of winged demons! Thousands of them!"

The black, hairless bat winged demon things converge on Superman like a wave, driving him down into the pavement with shocking force!

Ba-DOOM!

"This is insane! These things are not alive, but some kind of reanimated constructs! But that means I can really cut loose!"

Superman begins to spin from under the press of bodies against him, like a drill he carves upwards and away from them, then faster and faster, creating a cyclonic funnel effect, dragging them along in his wake, he arcs far out to sea, and then stops his spinning, leaving their now broken forms to drop into the ocean harmlessly!

"Red Tornado has nothing on me!"  He thinks to himself for an instant with a smile as he speeds back towards Metropolis.

"Superman!" A familiar voice calls to him, that he easily picks out from among the millions calling his name at the moment.

"Lois" he thinks.

"Listen to me Boy Scout; this guy is some necromancer according to what I can dig up on him on the Internet. He's known in Europe, and rumored to be something like a thousand years old. But he disappeared over a hundred years ago. What I'm reading right now speaks about him like he was a boogey man or Urban Legend myth.

But I also found out that there's some sort of reference to him every hundred years, then nothing for a century, at least as far back as I can dig. You might want to talk to one of your magic friends to find out more."

Superman flies past the Daily Planet, sees his wife staring at him through her office window, he waves at Lois and mouths thank you, then he is gone rocketing skywards again, and over the ocean.

"I have to talk to someone who knows magic, she's right about that. Problem is those guys are not easy to find. They usually find me. Maybe Zatanna is around. I'll have whoever's on duty for the JLA call for her assistance."

As he thinks to himself, above and behind him a great dark cloud forms, and suddenly takes the aspect of a dark rolling fist, that slams down into Superman, smashing him underwater.

"Did you think to stop my quest with such ease, strange one? I am Lord Necromance! None may stand before my power and prevail!"

Superman is held under the water by the mystical fist, pinned to the ocean floor. "This is getting annoying now, and even worse, I'm susceptible to magic. This fist is beginning to crush me somehow, and it hurts!"

He fires his heat ray vision at the cloudy, murky fist, and instantly it dissipates. He rockets upwards, breaking the water's surface as the image of Lord Necromance hovers and watches him. "Again you have driven back my power. I am impressed, strange one, very impressed."

"The name is not Strange one' or Flying man' It's Superman. Remember it, it'll be the name of the man who puts you down for the count, sorcerer, believe it!"

"Very well, Superman. We shall see how well you fare against my powerful fire demons!"

The air around Superman suddenly is burning, and in a heat he can feel. Hot, oppressive and decidedly deadly, even to him! The sky is dark with winged flaming creatures; very much akin to the undead things he faced earlier. The all fly in to attack him as one! Flaming horrors spitting fire, engulfing him as he writhes in pain!

"ARRGGGGHHH!" He screams involuntarily as he is immolated.

Suddenly energy rips from above, blasting through the creatures, shattering them like glass!

Varrr-AAAM!

"Hang on Superman! I'll have you free in a jiff!"

"GOLD'N!" Superman smiles, surprised and pleased to see his young protege as she arcs up, then down, shattering more of the flaming creatures as she flies through them.

"Thanks Gold'n, that was a little too close." He admits as he blasts his heat ray vision into the fire harpy's, shattering them as does Gold'n energy blasts.

He stops in mid air brings both arms back, then claps them together powerfully, creating a shockwave of force and sound, hurling the creatures away, most fall into the ocean and dissipate harmlessly.

Gold'n flies to his side, hovering there. "I had heard you were in that new city up north helping out during the construction phase of things. I had wondered if you were going to drop by sooner or later, but I didn't want to crowd you at all." He tells the blushing young girl.

She smiles sheepishly and then throws her arms around his neck and kisses him on the cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner, but I've been busy, and I wanted to prove I can take care of myself without calling for your help every ten minutes."

He grins at her as she removes her arms from his neck. "Gold'n, you don't have to prove anything to me. You've more then proved you can do whatever needs to be done. You're a Super-heroine now. You've earned your stripes. There's not much I can teach you any more, if anything. Just do what in your heart you feel is right, don't be swayed by others if you know your position is a valid one. Be willing to listen to their ideas and thoughts, but always be true to yourself, if you know you're right and always defend those that can't defend themselves, against threats both big and small. Never ignore the little things you can do to help others. That cat caught in the tree is as important to that little boy crying twenty feet below it as is the volcano that was threatening the city half a world away the night before. You can't do everything for everyone. But you do what you can, and take solace in that. I'm proud of you that you decided to defend Futura City. No city could ask for a finer champion."

"A proud speech, Superman, one that would stir the soul itself, were it not from the throat of a doomed man."

Both see the image of Lord Necromance's face hovering before them again.

"I did not forget about you, Necromance. Show yourself and face me man to man, not hiding in the shadows behind your useless playthings."

"Ah you flatter yourself Superman. I do not hide at all. In fact I am even now in Metropolis, my new city, about to take final control."

Superman is gone even before Necromance is finished speaking. He rockets towards Metropolis, Gold'n only an instant behind him. Both pull up short above Broadway, as the sight that greets them chills them to their very bones!

"G-giant rock monsters! Twenty stories tall! Dozens of them! They're going to kill all those people!" Gold'n stammers!

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Superman answers determinedly, streaking down towards the madness below him.

He rockets straight towards the nearest towering rock creature, slamming into it, shattering it into a million pieces as he goes through it with both fists before him!

Tra-KOOM!

Nearby, Gold'n fires her concussive energy beams from both fists, knocking one of the creatures backwards, but then another hurls parts of its form at her in a hail of rocky stalagmites. The golden girl is knocked backwards, into a towering office building, and through it into the now destroyed lobby!  

"Gold'n!" Superman shouts, worried about his partner!

As if in answer, the front of the building she was hurled into explodes in fury, as she rockets out, both fists blazing energy, as she destroys two of the rock creatures angrily!

"I'm all right Supes!" She shouts to him as she engages another rock giant!

"Good, keep doing what you're doing Gold'n. It's working." The man of Steel answers as he swings around and lands a powerful right cross to a rock creatures head, shattering it into rubble, the body follows as he dives down through it, turning the entire creature to dust beneath his fantastically fast moving fists!

Gold'n flies up next to Superman, both taking a momentary respite from the action. "Where d'you think he is Superman?"

"I'm looking now Gold'n." Superman replies as he scans the city. "Ah, just as I thought. He's at the highest point possible, Luthor tower."

He flies away directly towards the huge L' that stands above the city, where a caped and crowned sorcerer stands defiantly, staring down at the carnage his magics have wrought!

Instantly Superman and Gold'n are there, the man of Steel backhands the sorcerer away, strongly enough to knock a normal man from his feet but not enough to break every bone in his body!

"Unnngghh!" The necromancer grunts as he falls to the rooftop and skids across the hard black surface. "You DARE defile my person with your touch?! I will flay the flesh from your body!"

"Give it your best shot, Necromance. We've taken everything you've thrown at us thus far and are still standing. Let's see what else you've got." Superman replies.

"You will regret those words, Superman." Necromance answers, as he waves his hands about him, but Superman is there instantly, grasping both hands and stopping whatever spell Necromance was about to begin. "Unhand me, cretin!" The sorcerer angrily shouts.

"Not yet, villain." Superman replies, shaking the older man in the air like a doll. "I don't know what you want here, mister, but this is my city. You made a serious mistake by attacking here today."

"I am not the one who has erred Superman. No, not I." As he speaks, Necromance's eyes turn dark and the sky above their heads suddenly blackens, lightning leaps from the just formed clouds to strike Superman, as howling rains begin to fall about him and Gold'n.

"Gold'n get out of here!" He shouts above the din, he himself impervious to the fury being played about him!

"Not without you!" she answers, standing her ground.

"Ah, you care about the child." Necromance states, "She is a daughter or relative perhaps? Mayhap a surrogate child of some sort? Whatever it matters not. She is your weak spot." He hurls his hands forward, and lightning leaps from them, engulfing Gold'n! She screams in agony and drops to the rooftop smoldering.

"Gold'n!" Superman shouts heaving the sorcerer away from him, off the rooftop in anger. The old man falls over the edge like a stone as Superman streaks to Gold'n's side, lifting her tenderly in his arms. Her eyes flutter open painfully.

"Wow, that hurt." She mumbles in a ragged voice.

"Don't worry, I'll get you to a hospital." He begins to fly away, when suddenly the rain about them both coalesces into many man-like shapes, each about eight feet tall, and made of solid water, and they all attack as one, sweeping under Superman's feet, while several smash him about the back and face. Knocking both he and Gold'n from the rooftop.

"NO!" He shouts in surprise as he fights to catch Gold'n's plummeting form!

Behind them both, Lord Necromance floats on a wall of air, laughing at their plight. "Foolish Superman! I am a being beyond you, beyond anyone who has walked this world before. I am pure power."

Superman ignores him as he reaches Gold'n, but before Superman can catch her, she suddenly glows brightly and flies upwards on her own!

"I'm okay Supes! I just needed a sec to catch my breath. Let's get im!"

"All right Gold'n. Let's finish this up, now!" The man of steel agrees with more then a little anger in his voice as he ascends quickly towards his enemy.

Both come at their enemy from opposite ends. He floats between them in the air, and then dramatically he throws both hands outwards, one towards each of them, as gusts of powerful, mystical winds catch both and hurl them away with hurricane force, throwing each into the ocean miles away almost instantly.

"Bye Krypton, I hate magic." Superman swears as he shakes his head angrily as he flies out of the water. Quickly scanning with his telescopic vision he espies Gold'n similarly surfacing, and makes a beeline towards her.

"Are you okay?" he asks as they fly to each other.

"Yep, just a little wet, but I can take care of that." She glows brightly for an instant, drying herself out immediately.

"Back to the city, quickly. He orders. Both streak away, towards Metropolis, but as they almost instantly approach...

"Superman! The city, i-it's..."

"GONE! Metropolis is gone!" Superman proclaims in anguish.

Beneath their floating feet where the entire city of Metropolis once stood is now only the gentle lapping of water.

"Superman, I-I'm so sorry..." Gold'n stammers, unsure of what to say or do.

"This isn't over, Gold'n, not by a longshot. First we find out what he did with Metropolis. It's not destroyed, that I'm certain of. There would be people screaming in the water and debris everywhere if he did. No, he took my city somewhere. I mean to find out where."

Then a third voice intrudes on their conversation, one seemingly speaking out of thin air, as a familiar figure forms solidly before their very eyes. "You will not be alone in your quest, Man of Steel. Lord Necromance must be stopped, and you will be aided in this quest by the Phantom Stranger!"

Next: Stranger days!

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