Story: "What's so funny about Truth, Justice & The American Way?" (39 Pages)

Credits:

Joe Kelly (plot, script)
Doug Mahnke and Lee Bermejo (pencils)
Tom Nguyen
Dexter Vines
Jim Royal
Jose Marzan
Wade Von Grawbadger and Wayne Faucher (inks)
Comicraft (letters)
Rob Schwager (colors)
Eddie Berganza (edits)

Feature Character:

Superman

Supporting Characters:

Jimmy Olsen
Lois Lane
Perry White
Lex Luthor
Amanda Waller
Sam Lane
Mercy
Steel II
Jonathan Kent

Villains:

Samurai Roshu (a group of Japanese metahuman terrorists; first appearance; die)
Manchester Black (next in Adventures of Superman #593)
Coldcast
The Hat
Menagerie (latter three next in issue #795; latter four teamed as the Elite; first appearance of all)
Klee-Tees (members of an alien race allergic to water)
Rogue D.E.O. Agents

Guest Appearance:

Jack Ryder (last in ???; next in ???)

Synopsis:

A group of meta-humans calling themselves the Elite suddenly appear on the world scene and Superman doesn't like it. They are able to stop some heavy-duty terrorists, but not without killing them, and not without huge, and unnecessary, loss of civilian life. However, many people think that the Elite are the way forwards, the only way to deal with increasingly more dangerous evil-doers. Superman, however, resolutely refuses to kill.

Eventually, the Elite challenge him to a battle, which he requests be held on Jupiter's moon Io so that no-one else can be injured in the fight. Broadcast to television screens all over Earth, it initially looks like Superman is defeated in a matter of seconds, but then Manchester Black, leader of the Elite, sees his team-mates fall apart around him, killed by Superman, who claims he realised this was the only way. Black also discovers himself without any powers; Superman reveals now that the rest of the Elite are alive and well and the Black himself has been hit with a form of localised concussion. The Elite may well be back, and Superman will face them again, and defeat them again, but he will not kill to do so.

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