You ought to be flattered, man of steel, for in my many years, I have met few like you... Of course, they too wound up within my crystal. Truly gifted individuals are rare, and their lifespans are so brief... So, in order that I may partake of their companion-ship whenever the fancy strikes... I trap their essence within the limbo of this magic gemstone. 
- — Mister Z
Superman (Volume 2) #51 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 2) with a cover date of January, 1991.
Synopsis for "Mister Z!"
A mysterious man called Mister Z, capable of hypnotizing people, arrives at Metropolis looking for Superman.
Meanwhile, in the Daily Planet, Perry White informs he's taking a leave of absence due to how Jerry's death affected his job performance and appoints National News editor Sam Foswell as his temporal substitute. At that moment, Clark Kent receives a telepathic call from Mister Z, directed to Superman, requesting to meet him at the Museum of Modern History. Clark changes to his Superman suit and heads to the museum.
He finds the museum empty, save for one hypnotized guard who allows only Superman to enter. At an auditorium, Mister Z claims they met during World War II, the day a train full of prisoners derailed and caused an accident. Superman is confused because Superman wasn't there at that time, but Mister Z dismisses his comments, saying he waited fifty years to meet the man of steel again. Superman's soul is suddenly absorbed into the magic gemstone in Mister Z's cane. Inside, Superman finds historic characters from different points of time. Superman's arrival causes tremors inside the gemstone dimension, caused apparently by the gemstone's inability to incorporate his Kryptonian heritage. Superman starts talking in Kryptonese to try his theory and it causes the gemstone to explode and free Superman. The explosion also sends Mister Z flying backward into a manikin holding a musket, and he is stabbed in the back by the rifle's blade.
Superman picks up the pieces of the shattered gemstone, and the policemen take the body of Mister Z to the morgue. But Mister Z is truly immortal, as he gets out of his box, escapes from the morgue, and takes a plane to Saudi Arabia.
Appearing in "Mister Z!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Cat Grant
- Gangbuster
- Jimmy Olsen
- Lois Lane
- Perry White
- Sam Foswell (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Mister Z (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Alice
- Bibbo
- Metropolis Police Department
- Keith Timmons
- Whit
Locations:
- Metropolis
- Daily Planet
- LexCorp
- Galaxy Communications
- Museum of Modern History
- Metropolis Airport
Items:
Vehicles:
Concepts
Notes
- This issue marks the first appearance of so-called "triangle numbers" or "shield numbers" starting with Superman navigation number 1991/1.
- This issue is reprinted in Superman: The Triangle Era Omnibus Vol. 1.
Trivia
- Superman breaks free from the gemstone's dimension thanks to the idea of Julius Caesar.
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
| Previous None |
Superman 1991 Navigation |
Next Adventures of Superman #474 |