To save his son, Superman may have to sell his soul

It's fair to say that poor old Superman is one of the characters most impacted by the events of the Absolute Power crossover. Not only has he lost his powers and the Fortress of Solitude ( spectacularly destroyed in Absolute Power #2 ), but his son Jon Kent has been cybernetically altered and brought under Amanda Waller's control, leading to a brutal fight between father and son.

Now, in this week's Superman #17, Clark Kent must turn to a very unexpected ally if he wants to bring Waller's reign of terror to an end... and it could cost him dearly.

Spoilers for Superman #17

In the new issue, by writer Joshua Williamson and artist Jamal Campbell, Superman is embarking on the mission he was sent on by Nightwing : to search for allies in the fight back against Amanda Waller . He's accompanied on this odyssey by Zatanna who is able to lead them onto the Dark Roads in search of the Map of Mordru – a mystical MacGuffin that will grant the pair access to the multiverse.

It's not long before Zatanna is able to locate it – turns out that it's being held within the Oblivion Bar, the secretive extra-dimensional drinking establishment where many of the world's magic users appear to be hanging out (probably with a nice cold pint, waiting for all of this to blow over).

This leads to an awkward encounter between Zatanna and a young fan ("I'm a stage magician. Like you. Well, a sword dancer, aspiring. But gigs are hard to come by at the moment…") and a rematch between Clark and Kid Warlock (who also appears in a flashback to the start of Superman's career on the issue's opening page) that proves that, while he may not have his powers right now, Clark is still a more-than-formidable fighter.

But Kid Warlock is just a minor distraction. In the last few pages of the issue somebody far more powerful and intimidating shows up: the demon-lord Neron. What's more, he has the Map of Mordru and will only give it to Superman if he takes him up on a deal...

A powerful denizen of Hell, Neron was created by Mark Waid and Howard Porter for 1995's Underworld Unleashed limited series. Since then the fallen angel has been an intermittent threat to many of DC's heroes, notably killing Wonder Woman at one point (don't worry, she got better).

Now, given that Neron's whole deal is making infernal pacts with heroes and villains in order to take their souls, there's a dark implication to this cliffhanger. As we see earlier in the issue when he momentarily loses control, Clark is very close to a breakdown. He's literally powerless and at his wit's end worrying about Jon – in other words, the perfect target for Neron. This final page reveal raises the ominous question: just how far will Superman go to save his son?

Superman #17 is out now from DC.

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