Sarcasm is my forte. 
Action Comics #763 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 2000. It was published on January 26, 2000.
Synopsis for "Sacrifice for Tomorrow"
Brainiac 13's energy conduits encircle the world. He reveals to Superman that he has turned Metropolis' citizens into mind-controlled slaves, then hurls him through a building. Inside LexCorp Tower, Lex and Brainiac 2.5 (who is controlling Lena's body) prepare the Kryptonian war suit.
Superman and a re-built Kelex fly through Metropolis, dodging Brainiac 13's eye beams. Suddenly, the Kryptonian war suit, co-operated by Lex and Lena/Brainiac 2.5, bursts through Brainiac 13's chest. Superman tells Lex that they have to work together to defeat Brainiac 13. Lex refuses and slams him into the ground.
Hordes of mind-controlled robots, including Hourman, Cyborg, and Red Tornado, descend on Metropolis. While fighting the robots, Superman forms a plan and tells Kelex to link to the war suit.
Inside the war suit, Lena/Brainiac 2.5 activates an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that shuts down the robots. Brainiac 13, however, is unharmed and continues to fight Superman. Meanwhile, Kelex shares Superman's plan with Lex and Lena/Brainiac 2.5.
Kelex repairs the war suit, then tells Lex to to funnel one of Brainiac 13's energy conduits into the suit. The suit will convert the energy into a Kryptonian-based spectrum. They will shoot the spectrum at Brainiac 13, forcing him to shut down.
Brainiac 13 envelops Superman in liquid cables. Kelex urges Lex to stop Brainiac 13 from killing Superman, but Lex would rather let Superman die. He double-crosses Kelex and re-actives manual control of the war suit. Superman, having anticipated this, tells Kelex to wake Red Tornado up.
Red Tornado reveals that Kelex communicated Superman's plan to him right before the war suit's EMP shut him down. He frees Superman from Brainiac 13's grasp, and the two create a vortex that funnels Brainiac 13 into the conduit attached to the war suit.
Luthor tries to remove the conduit before Brainiac 13 is sucked into the suit, but is unable to maintain control. Kelex, with full control, says he lied about Superman's plan and expels Luthor and Lena/Brainiac 2.5 from the suit.
Superman reveals his real plan. Inspired by his actions earlier in the day when he opened a conduit and was converted into containable energy, Superman knew he could contain Brainiac 13 inside the Kryptonian circuitry since he did not possess the technology to free himself. Now trapped, Brainiac 13's conduits around the world release their grasp, and the future technology disappears.
Superman meets with Lois to confirm she is no longer mind-controlled. He flies back to Luthor and sees Metropolis has still not reverted back to its normal state. Instead, he finds the war suit, Brainiac 13, and Lena/Brainiac 2.5 gone. Only Luthor remains.
A week later, Luthor has capitalized off the future technology in Metropolis with over 500 patents. A flashback reveals that right after Superman and Red Tornado funneled him into the war suit, Brainiac 13 used his remaining powers to momentarily pause time and make a deal with Luthor.
Although Brainiac 2.5 caused Luthor to lose everything, Brainiac 13 can give Luthor the codex to keep the future technology in Metropolis and profit from it. In exchange, Brainiac 13 needs Lena/Brainiac 2.5 to override the suit and escape with him.
In the present, Superman hovers outside Luthor's window. He knows Luthor is responsible for the future technology staying in Metropolis, and that he sacrificed Lena to do it. Superman tells Luthor that he will pay. After he flies away, Luthor says to himself that he has already paid in full by sacrificing his daughter.
Appearing in "Sacrifice for Tomorrow"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Superman vs. Brainiac.
- This story finishes up on January 1 with an epilogue on January 8.
- The events of Metal Men (Volume 2) were declared a psychotic break in Will Magnus' head according to 52 (Volume 1). The standard origin and nature of the Metal Men is still intact on New Earth and Magnus was never Veridium.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Superman Recommended Reading
- Action Comics (Volume 1)
- Action Comics (Volume 2)
- Adventures of Superman (Volume 1)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 1)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 2)
- Batman/Superman: World's Finest (Volume 1)
- DC Comics Presents (Volume 1)
- Superman (Volume 1)
- Superman (Volume 2)
- Superman (Volume 3)
- Superman (Volume 4)
- Superman (Volume 5)
- Superman (Volume 6)
- Superman/Batman (Volume 1)
- Superman Confidential (Volume 1)
- Superman: Son of Kal-El (Volume 1)
- Superman: The Man of Steel (Volume 1)
- Superman: The Man of Tomorrow (Volume 1)
- Superman/Wonder Woman (Volume 1)
- World's Finest (Volume 1)
Links and References
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