Action Comics #891

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE BLACK RING PART 2 Lex Luthor, holding the apple of knowledge, leads a group of primitive men to steal fire from the Gods. As he does, a statue comes to life and fires heat vision at him. Mr. Mind, meanwhile, responds to the person who has inspired him to control Luthor, and explains how he is causing Luthor to live in a fantasy.   Luthor wakes up as Dr. Frankenstein, with Lois as his assistant. She pokes at him and asks him why he's afraid to reveal his monster, and he pulls back the sheet to reveal himself. In his fantasy, he tells himself that he's best when he can control people. This disturbs Mr. Mind, because that's not what he's trying to get Luthor to do.   Mr. Mind ups the stakes, sending villagers with pitchforks to attack Luthor and Lois. It startles Luthor, and he wakes up in a western setting, with Mr. Mind trying to coerce him to attack Superman as the villain. When the deputy tries to manipulate Luthor, Luthor realizes he's in a fantasy and shoots the deputy to avoid being manipulated. With a fantasy of Lois' help, he manages to escape into Metropolis.   Mr. Mind ratchets things up, and turns into a giant version of himself to physically fight Luthor on the streets of Metropolis. Luthor rips open his shirt and fights Mind. Mind refuses to reveal anything, so Luthor punts him off the roof where they left off. The people who were formerly attacking him tell him they weren't in control of their actions, and he lets them go in exchange for information.   Back in reality, Luthor schemes to find the source of power for the rings using Black Lantern energy analysis. Before he leaves, he calls on Deathstroke.