Back when a Superman/Batman fight still had a smidge of novelty.

Only 21 31 years ago! From 1991, Superman Annual #3, "Execution 2001" Written by Dan Jurgens, pencils by Dusty Abell, inks by Terry Austin, John Beatty, Dick Giordano, and Dennis Janke. 

After the initial framing issue (which I don't think I remembered had been written by Archie Goodwin!) this is the first chapter of Waverider's time traveling quest to find the hero who would become the future tyrant Monarch; and he's starting at the top, invisibly reviewing what was going to happen to Superman. The next year or so was looking pretty good for him, as Clark finally marries Lois; but their time together is interrupted by Intergang accidentally detonating a nuke in Metropolis in a blackmail scheme gone awry. Lois (and most of the regular supporting cast) is killed, along with a few million others; and it pretty obviously breaks Superman. He marries Lana--a bounce-back thing, but she doesn't care--and begins a quest to rid the earth of nuclear weapons. Which is the sort of thing the government loves, until he comes for their nukes: in 2001, Superman forces the crew of a nuclear submarine to abandon ship, then sinks it.

President Forrest has had more than enough of "Superman's law," and the news that seven sailors didn't get off the sub in time and died gives him a public relations weapon against him. He also tries to leverage that crime into getting Batman on the case: Bats doesn't believe Forrest, and considers him an opportunist who rode the Metropolis disaster into power. Angrily, Forrest tells him the Justice League would bring Superman down, then...maybe do something about Gotham later too. Back in Smallville, Superman was feeling the heat, but was more concerned with his mom, who was well into Alzheimer's.  Bruce Wayne visits him, and asks about the drowned sailors: Superman maintains the sub was clear. But Supes still refuses to back down, and Bruce notices him call Lana "Mrs. Kent" when he leaves: Lana had also noticed him acting like Superman and Clark were two different people. 

In Washington DC, Tim Drake investigates and finds the dog tags of the drowned sailors...how would their tags be recovered from a sunken sub? And why would they be in a file? Elsewhere, Superman is confronted by Fire, Booster Gold, and the Martian Manhunter; and is more harsh than usual with them. There are some troubling little things, like his snarky comment to Booster about gambling, a dig at his past; or letting a blast bounce off him and hit Fire. He also leaves the unconscious J'onn in a fire, since he knew his vulnerability to fire had been removed. Physically perhaps, but not psychologically: J'onn has a heart attack and dies, while Superman coldly remarks that he didn't kill him.

With the heroes and the government ramping up their fight against him, Superman has to abandon the farm, and take Ma Kent and Lana to the Fortress of Solitude. The unfamiliar surroundings do not help Ma's health, but while reassuring Lana Superman hears Batman calling him out, to a meeting at "a place in Gotham that's very important to (him.)" It's Crime Alley, and that and Batman's armor are of course direct callbacks to the Dark Knight Returns, but the ensuing fight is drawn more from then-recent Superman continuity: Batman still had Lex Luthor's Kryptonite ring, which Superman had given him for just such an occasion. Supes is able to slap it out of Batman's armored hand, but luckily Robin was there to help out. As Superman dies, Batman wonders who they'll send after him when his time comes.

Waverider isn't thrilled about seeing that, but at least Superman didn't become Monarch? That Batman, though...We actually looked at a bit of that issue years ago; and it would be a couple before Waverider would realize he was seeing possible futures, since Supes and Bats would get a couple annuals in this crossover.

I wouldn't have minded seeing Abell draw more comics; I only have a couple others from him.