Superman (Volume 2) #193 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 2) with a cover date of July, 2003. It was published on May 28, 2003.
Synopsis for "Patronymic, Part 2 of 2"
Superman soars through the sky with the new Supergirl in tow. As he lands atop a mountain outside of Metropolis he begins to tell Supergirl that she can't just surprise him when he is Clark Kent and call him her father. Supergirl replies to him that he told her his secret identity, but Superman says he doesn't have a daughter. Tears springing to her eyes, Cir-El tells him that she is from the future, yells out that he hates her. Superman tries tells her that she can't use her powers in anger like that, but she just bounds away, saying that he is acting exactly as they said he would. Superman pursues her and asks who 'they' refers to. Cir-El can barely name the Futuresmiths before a nuclear explosion rocks Metropolis. Soaring into the sky, he rushes off to save anyone he can. Cir-El bounds after him.
In the city, Lois watches the mushroom cloud with fear and begins whispering to her husband, saying that she loved him. As Superman touches down next to his wife, the crowds rush in to him, begging for him to save them. He tells everyone that it isn't what it appears to be. There isn't any radiation, and there is no damage anywhere in the city. Taking off again, Superman heads for the source of the explosion.
Soaring into the location, which reveals to be a breached reactor tower, Superman finds Radion crackling with energy. Outside, reporter Constance Cross hurries forward with her cameraman to catch everything on the news. Superman melts the steel beneath Radion's feet, trapping the villain. Radion retaliate by blasting the wall behind the reporters and sending debris falling towards them. As Superman moves in to intercept the lethal downpour, it vanishes into thin air. When he returns to the villain, Radion is gone.
Across the city, the Viceroy saves two people, setting down a midst a crowd of people. Turning to the crowd, Viceroy assures everyone that the nuke wasn't real, and he will find out who perpetrated this hoax and bring them to justice. From a nearby monitor, the reporter names Radion as the culprit of the false detonation. Someone from the crowd calls out that Radion killed the first Viceroy, and now his son has to avenge his father. Thanking the crowd, Viceroy takes to the skies. His O.W.L. begins to tell Viceroy that the original wasn't his father, but Viceroy tells the machine that that is the story he's made up, so he has to play it out.
Superman is telling the reporters to leave as Cir-El finally arrives. The reporter instantly questions Cir-El, and for a few moments Superman and Supergirl answer every question with the opposite answer. The reporter then asks if Cir-El feels responsible for dropping Radion in the tower, and Superman whirls about to ask if she caused this. She quickly denies the blame, saying that the Futuresmiths told her to do it. Superman quickly tells the reporters to leave the area, immediately.
Suddenly Cir-El sees a wall behind them dissolve and Radion leaps through. His new power lets him rearrange leftover atoms and create mirages. As Superman pushes the reporters out, Radion knocks Supergirl to the ground. With his eyes glowing red, Superman tells him to fight someone his own size. Radion knocks Supergirl flying and turns to Superman. Suddenly, Viceroy falls from the sky and onto Radion's head, sending the villain into the pavement. Superman dashes after Supergirl and barely manages to catch her before they both slam into a building.
Radion quickly recovers from the assault and slams Viceroy down, pounding him into the ground. A distance away, Superman pulls Cir-El out of the wreckage and makes her promise to stay out of the fight. She agrees. As Radion hurls Viceroy at the two reporters, Superman suddenly returns and sends the villain flying with a flurry of punches. Arriving on the scene, Lois finds Constance Cross lying on the ground, but Constance just hands Lois her microphone and tells her to finish covering the story. Using heat vision and then finally his super-breath to draw Radion's oxygen out of his lungs, he renders him unconscious. Lois then steps in to interview her husband as the villain falls to the ground.
That night, Lois and Clark watch the former's newscast. They briefly talk about it, when suddenly Lois asks if it might be possible that Cir-El is theirs. Clark tells Lois that from what he has seen in his life, anything is possible. Outside their window, Cir-El perches on an outcropping, listening.
Appearing in "Patronymic, Part 2 of 2"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Radion
- Futuresmiths (Mentioned only)
Other Characters:
- Viceroy
- O.W.L.
- Constance Cross
Locations:
- Metropolis
- 1938 Sullivan Place
- Nerone Nuclear Facility
- Stryker's Island Penitentiary (Mentioned only)
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also