Cover: Gil Kane & Dick Giordano

Action Comics #544

Jun 1983 · DC · 1.50 USD; 2.00 CAD; 0.50 GBP

☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free

“Luthor Unleashed!”

In "Luthor Unleashed!", Lex Luthor, battered and broken after a clash with Superman, retreats to the distant planet Lexor to recover—only to confront his long-lost son for the first time. As Superman struggles to stop a vengeful robot acting in Luthor’s name on Earth, the villain attempts to stabilize Lexor’s volatile core with a "neutrarod," unaware of the cost. Written by Cary Bates and brought to life with Curt Swan’s iconic art, Murphy Anderson’s inks, and Tony Tollin’s colors, this pivotal 1983 issue features a cover by Gil Kane and Dick Giordano.

writer Cary Bates · artist Curt Swan · inker Murphy Anderson · colorist Tony Tollin · letterer Ben Oda · cover Gil Kane, Dick Giordano

More listings for this title

Variant $8.5 VG $12.86 Variant $17.99 VF $21.45 Newsstand $24.95 Newsstand $24.95 VERY GOOD $24.99 Newsstand $24.99

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 61 total · seen 14 days ago

Sell my copy

Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.

We Buy Collections ▸

Fast, fair offers · we handle grading & shipping

Full credits

writer Cary Bates

artist Curt Swan

inker Murphy Anderson

colorist Tony Tollin

letterer Ben Oda

cover pencils Gil Kane

cover inks Dick Giordano

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers

▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers

Barely alive after his latest fight with Superman, Luthor heads to Lexor to recover, where he meets his son for the first time. Meanwhile, back on Earth, one of Luthor's robots takes revenge in his master's stead. While Superman figures out how to deal with the revenge plot, Luthor stabilizes the core of Lexor with a "neutrarod" so it is not destroyed by internal stresses. Superman finally arrives on Lexor to fight once again with Luthor, but in the fight Luthor disrupts the rod, destroying the planet and killing his wife and son.

Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).