Comic Title: Superman:The Man of Steel Vol. 3 TPB
Publisher: DC
Cover Date: 2004
On Sale Date: September 9, 2004 Direct Market Date September 1, 2004
Source: Previews, Vol. 14 #7 (#187)

Direct Market Date September 9, 2004
Source: ComicList, New Comic Book Releases List for Thursday, September 9, 2004

Cover Price: $19.95
Page Count: 208
Editor: Robert Greenberger

See Also: The Guide to Graphic Novels and Collected Editions

Title: "The Last Five Hundred"
Pages: 22

Feature(s):
Superman (Post-Crisis)

Writer/Penciller: John L. Byrne
Inker: Karl Kesel
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Thomas J. Ziuko

Reprinted From:
Superman #6 (1987)

Feature Character(s)

• Superman (last appearance in Superman #5; next appearance in Adventures of Superman #428)
• Lois Lane (last appearance in Superman #5; next appearance in Superman #7)

Villain(s)

• Host (last appearance in Superman #5; no further appearances)
• The H'v'ler'n (A'x'iar and E'v'en named; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Dr. Estevez and Raoul Estevez (last appearance in Superman #5; no further appearances)
• Members of an archaeological expedition (last appearance in Superman #5; no further appearances)

Comments:
This story is continued from Superman #5.

Synopsis:
Superman awakens two days after his defeat at the hands of a mummy creature in South America. He discovers that Lois and the archaeological expedition have all been taken over by members of an ancient race known as the H'v'ler'n. They had stored their consciousnesses inside a creature known as the Host which was responsible for Superman's earlier defeat. The H'v'ler'n now plan to take over the world.

Superman battles the Host again. With several of the H'v'ler'n now possessing people, it lacks the power to defeat him. The H'v'ler'n do no want to return to the Host, but are drawn back anyway. The creature then attacks a nearby city.

To stop the creature, Superman allows himself to be defeated a second time. The H'v'ler'n inside the Host all want to possess his body. The resulting conflict of all the minds trying to take him over at once results in the Host being destroyed. Superman recovers, then verifies that Lois and the archaeologists are unharmed.