Action Comics (Volume 2) #44 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 2) with a cover date of November, 2015. It was published on September 9, 2015.
Synopsis for "Hard Truth: Part Four"
Superman and the Metropolis cops fight the Shadow Creatures at the City Hall, where a mysterious female entity called Wrath has impersonated the Mayor. Wrath draws her power from anger and has used her position to turn public opinion against Superman and become more powerful. Seeing innocent people under attack infuriates Superman, causing him to throw himself into battle.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Metropolis, Jimmy and Lee have rallied the civillians to confiscate any weapons left from Binghamton's attack. Then, a mob under Wrath's thrall barges into the neighborhood to kill any Superman sympathizers. When the infected begin to manifest shadow powers, Superman's allies are forced to defend themselves. Things get worse when Lee is infected as well.
Superman knows fighting Wrath will only make her stronger, but he sees no other way to stop her rampage. Her Shadow Creatures begin overwhelming the cops, but Petruzzelli is able distract Wrath enough for Superman to press on the assault. Her defeat is temporary, however, as Wrath claims she only needed Superman's anger to empower her thralls. She disappears as a fire breaks out on the other side of the city.
An infected Lee grabs a pole and rushes into a building, tearing a wall apart. Superman arrives on the scene and gets a full pictures of his infected friend. Before a fight breaks out, however, Lee is able to convince Superman she is still in control of her actions. She only broke into that building to save the people trapped inside. Superman is relieved and offers to find a way to cure Lee, but she declines, claiming that whatever power she has now, it was meant to be hers. She then returns the piece of his cape to him.
Later, the cleanup starts and Superman wants to help, but some of the locals shun him. Dante is angry some people still resent Superman even after he saved the city, but the more critical bystanders deride him as an alien. Lee and Jimmy think some of the naysayers were the ones that broke into Clark's apartment and want some justice, but Superman tells them to ignore them. As much as he wants to be everybody's friend, Superman cannot remain in Metropolis. He has decided to go after Wrath.
Wrath has escaped to an old neighborhood that contains a portal to a parallel dimension. There, she meets up with others like her and they discuss their plans to conquer the world.
Appearing in "Hard Truth: Part Four"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Jimmy Olsen
- Metropolis Police Department
- Officer Jefferson
- Lee Lambert
- Petruzzelli
Antagonists:
- Shadow Monsters
Other Characters:
- Ray Palmer (Mentioned only)
- John Henry Irons (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Metropolis
- City Hall
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also