Written by Brian Azzerello, “For Tomorrow” was a 12 issue storyline in Superman comics. A phenomenon called “the vanishing” causes a million people vanish. Because one of the vanished is Lois Lane, Superman finds himself searching for answers.
Father Daniel Leone is having a crisis. So is Superman, who visits the priest to make a confession about the last year in his life. This series of dialogues dominate the story arc.
Superman tells of a weapon that was used to create the vanishing. Superman mentions ‘the vanishing’ originated in the Middle East and that it occurred while Supes was in orbit helping Green Lantern save the planet. His search for the source of the phenomenon took him to Qurac. Superman disarms both sides in the civil war, but they proceed to brain one another with stones. Superman fights a beastly villain named Equus. Equus is a super-soldier in the army of General Nox. Nox uses the disarmament to seize power in Qurac.
Superman helps Nox rebuild the country. But when he notices Equus about to kill the king with the vanishing weapon, he opposes the insurgents. Equus activates the weapon, taking himself, Nox and several thousand others. Superman takes the weapon.
Meanwhile, Father Leone is dying of cancer. Mr. Orr begins tracking Superman, alternately visiting with Father Leone. And a woman (Halcyon) begins to harry Superman. She magically creates monsters from each of the four elements, including four giants made from Mount Rushmore. The giants threaten to obliterate Earth’s population, allowing the planet to start anew. Superman one-ups the monsters, telling them if Earth’s people are destroyed, he will scorch the Earth so no life can live upon it, then find a new homeworld. Halcyon’s monsters disappear. Wonder Woman shows up in the desert with Halcyon.
Father Leone dreams about Superman, who wants Leone to leap to his doom as a sign of faith, claiming he will then cure Leone’s cancer. Leone does so, but wakes from his dream. Meanwhile, Superman comes upon a Batman-Joker showdown, where the Joker throws a woman off a roof. Superman saves her, then talks to Batman about the ‘disappearance’ of Clark Kent. Batman and he argue as usual.
Halcyon gives Wonder Woman a sword with which to kill Superman. Wonder Woman thinks Superman is going to use the vanishing weapon against himself.
Superman takes Father Leone to the Fortress of Solitude, but refuses to find a cure for cancer. Wonder Woman and Mr. Orr track Superman there. Wonder Woman and Superman battle. Superman activates the vanishing weapon, which causes him and the fortress to disappear. In the aftermath, Mr. Orr takes Father Leone to a CIA center for cancer treatments.
All that is left is for Superman to appear in the vanishing realm. Lois and Clark are there. Lois is picking peaches, and Clark tells Superman he has stopped visiting Lois because he realized Lois loves Superman. Superman visits Lois and the two make sweet love. He realizes the vanishing realm, named Metropia by Lois, is his paradise. Equus attacks Clark. This is the cliffhanger.
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