Action Comics #881

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE HUNT FOR REACTRON PART 1  General Lane has succeeded in turning the world against Superman and New Krypton thanks to Mirabai's illusion spells. Mon-El is presumed dead and any Kryptonian is under suspicion for attacking Earth.  Kara Zor-El (New Earth), Flamebird and Nightwing are teleported to a Metropolis alleyway. Deceived by Mirabai's spells, Kara right away flies off the handle and attacks Thara, yelling that Flamebird killed her father and tried to kill her. Nightwing steps in to try to defend Thara, and Supergirl recognizes her cousin's foster son, Chris Kent.   Their fight spills out into the streets, and there the Kryptonian trio sees that the attack Mirabai orchestrated and the "murder" of Mon-El is playing on every video billboard in the city. Their faces are being splashed across the huge electronic billboards, branding them the murderers of Mon-El and enemies of the world. They have been labelled 'the Metropolis 3', and they are said to have been laughing when Mon-El died and that Metropolis has needed to ration water because of the attack on the sewer system.   The citizens of Metropolis are ready to take on the heroes, and the Science Police shows up to deal with them, led by a revenge-thirsty Guardian. After a brief brawl and realizing they have been set up and Guardian cannot be reasoned with, Supergirl grabs the unconscious Thara and flies off with Chris following behind.   Elsewhere in Project 7734, Metallo and Reactron are undergoing repairs. Metallo sports a new skin while Metallo is bitter that he must stay strapped to a gurney because his suit is leaking radiation for some reason and must be studied and repaired. While Metallo mocks him, Reactron swears he will hunt down Supergirl, who he has developed an unhealthy hatred of.   Meanwhile the Kryptonian trio is hiding out in Paris, in one of the many Supergirl's safe houses (Kara has apartments all over the globe acting as mini Fortresses of Solitude). Thara is standing outside, listening to international news transmissions -all news programs seem to be focudes on the Metropolis attacks- and the conversation that Kara and Chris are having below in the apartment. Chris professes that he loves her -which makes Thara happy- and Kara calls her former friend an insane religious nutjob who believes in fairy tales -which infuriates Thara-.   Thara reenters the apartment and lets it be known she overheard their conversation. Kara stutters and keeps silent as Thara talks about the obviously faked news broadcasts. The three begin to try to figure out who framed them, but there's tension between Kara and Thara.   In Metropolis, Lois tries to track down her father unsuccessfully. Then she races to see Cat Grant and tries to convince her not to go to the Morgan Edge show, reasoning that the anti-Kryptonian stories should stop and that the video of Mon-El's death is fake. Cat replies Kryptonians and those who stand with them are now the enemy, so Lois might want to watch what she says and writes.   Back in Paris, Supergirl finally puts some of the pieces together: she realizes that Reactron must have been part of this set-up since they all lost their powers briefly, and those illusions must have been part of the plot against them. Then she decides it's time to go and get Reactron and bring him to New Krypton for justice. Thara disagrees, stating that bringing Reactron to Alura is basically sending him to an execution. Kara retorts her mother is fair and lives up to her duties, unlike someone else who was praying to a figment of her imagination while killed her father.   Thara -who loved Zor-El as a father- explodes and slams Kara into the Eiffel Tower. Both girls start a very public brawl, and before Nightwing is able to stop them, calm them down and bring them back inside, the Squad K turns up. CAPTAIN ATOM CHAPTER 3 Captain Atom is spied on by a woman named Jenny Blake. She urgently contacts her superior officer Colonel Gunn, stating that "Arrow" (Captain Atom) is compromised, revealing that Captain Atom has been previously brainwashed. Blake meets with Gunn, which the colonel have his commando team to 'suit up'.   Lord Gadrey tries to grasp with the amnesiac Captain Atom of his acknowledgment of his previous terrible actions over the men he killed. Their moment is interrupted by Colonel Gunn and his team, suited in power armors who then attack Captain Atom. Atom shield against their attack and providing Gadrey and Royard to run for safety. After putting up a fight, Captain Atom is stunned by Gunn.   Hidden behind some rubble, Royard wants to help Captain Atom, but Wodan heavily disagrees and argues that Captain Atom's good actions doesn't absolve for what he has previously done before, which Lord Gadrey also reluctantly shares Wodan's reasons.   Colonel Gunn towers over Captain Atom, stating that his superiors will 'scramble [his] skull' from ever having independent thoughts. As Blake is about to restrain Captain Atom, a mage and an ogre charges in and killing/subduing Gunn and his remaining men. Blake is then put at knife-point by the ogre and threaten by the mage to help them take Captain Atom or die.