Contents

“Different Worlds” -- 32 pages

• written by John Byrne
• breakdowns by John Byrne
• finishes by George Pérez
• Hermes summons Wonder Woman to Olympus, interrupting her romantic meeting with Superman
• Darkseid has taken over Olympus (which the Olympians have abandoned) and forces Superman and Wonder Woman to fight
• Superman and Wonder Woman defeat Darkseid and return to Earth, deciding to remain friends
• continued from Adventures of Superman #440 and Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #16
• broken into chapters (the 7-page “Chapter One: First Date…,” the 5-page “Chapter Two: Fallen Idols,” the 8-page “Chapter Three: Broken Mirrors,” the 4-page “Chapter Four: Battle!,” and the 7-page “Chapter Five: This Hollow Victory…”)
• Darkseid tells Desaad that the Olympian gods are creations of the same energy released by the battle of the old gods that created Apokalips and New Genesis (though Circe describes a different origin of the gods in Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #19, in which she tells Diana the New Gods had their genesis in the energy released by the Titans’ conflict with the Olympians)
• this story would be followed up, almost a decade later, in John Byrne’s run on Wonder Woman Vol. 2 and in the Genesis crossover

untitled (a.k.a. “True Love”) -- 8 pages

• script by Roger Stern
• story by John Byrne
• pencils by Kurt Schaffenberger
• inks by Jerry Ordway
• Lois is upset that the papers are saying that Superman and Wonder Woman are dating (echoing “Different Worlds,” in this issue)
• Clark disappears to answer his signal watch (as shown in “A Friend in Need,” in this issue)

“Games People Play” -- 8 pages

• written by John Byrne
• pencils by Dick Giordano
• inks by John Beatty
• Luthor threatens to reveal to the public that Maggie Sawyer is a lesbian
• Luthor learns he has kryptonite poisoning

“A Friend in Need” -- 8 pages

• script by Roger Stern
• story by John Byrne
• pencils by Curt Swan
• inks by Murphy Anderson
• Superman goes to Millersburg to answer Jimmy’s signal watch, but weakens from kyptonite poisoning
• Jimmy takes Superman to a cave and then goes for help
• continues into “The Dark Where Madness Lies” (in this issue)

“The Dark Where Madness Lies” -- 8 pages

• written by John Byrne
• art by Mike Mignola
• Superman, weakened by the kryptonite, attacks Man-Bat, then recovers and sends Man-Bat for help
• features a cameo appearance by Hawkman
• continues into Superman Vol. 1 #18 (“to be continued” box erroneously states #19)

pin-ups -- 6 pages

• an alternate, fully-lettered cover to this issue by John Byrne and George Pérez
• pin-up of Superman and friends (including Mr. Miracle, Wonder Woman, Dr. Fate, Martian Manhunter, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Firestorm, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Black Canary, the Creeper, Batman, Captain Marvel, Flash, and Robin Jason Todd) by Linda Medley and Arthur Adams
• Superman pin-up by Jon Bogdanove
• Superman pin-up by Kevin Maguire and Dave Gibbons
• pin-up of Superman and Lois Lane by Mike Zeck
• pin-up of Superman and Brainiac by Walt Simonson

Additional Images

The combination of John Byrne and George Pérez pleased readers, especially in their ability to convey an M.C. Escher-inspired vision of Olympus. From the lead story of Action Comics Vol. 1 #600 (May 1988).

See It in Context on the Continuity Pages: