80-Page Thursday: Superman 80-Page Giant!

Rarely have I read an 80-pager so tied into an event; or the aftermath of one. Today we've got Superman 80-Page Giant #2, with stories by Mike Friedman, Chuck Dixon, Dan Jurgens, Mark Millar, and more; with art by Peter Doherty, Mike Oeming, Gordon Purcell, Sean Phillips, and more.

This came just after the 1999 "King of the World" storyline; which I've only read an issue or two of. Superman starts using Superman-robots to patrol earth, and slowly starts taking more and more control. Except it turns out it wasn't Superman, he had been replaced somehow by Dominus. Yeah, I don't know either. "In the wake of world domination comes redemption!" reads the cover, as Supes has to rebuild his damaged reputation.

In the lead story, "Under Control," Superman saves a man from committing suicide, then takes him on a "ride-along" as he helps others. The man helps deliver a baby, and resolves to just live his life one day at a time. Next, Steel reads Supes the riot act in "If I had a Hammer." The pair help out rebuilding homes in a war-torn African nation, even though they're pretty sure the ongoing war will probably wreck them again.

Wonder Woman wonders (boo!) why she didn't realize Supes was under the influence/replaced by Dominus; and the answer is because she's crushing hard on him, even if he only has eyes for Lois. Like Steel, Jimmy Olsen is hurt pretty badly by Superman's failure, but knows Supes won't stop working to regain everyone's trust. The Linda Danvers/Clark Kent sister/brother dynamic is explored a little, then we see Luthor at the top of his game. He's the hero of the day, yet more beaten than ever.

Finally, in "From Krypton with Love," Lois explains how Superman is too busy saving everyone to care what they think of him, so she has to do that for him. That last one's not bad, but the rest of this issue is a bit forgettable unless you remember that storyline, which you probably don't. Oh, and despite my scans, Superman is totally in this one, but it is mostly about his friends.