Superman #701

GROUNDED PART 1

After the press conference, Superman had realized how distant he'd become from the people he lived amongst on the planet, so he decided to travel across America to find himself again.  Superman's first stop is Philadelphia and the media are following him every step of the way. Amongst the journalists and bewildered public is Clark Kent's wife Lois Lane. She asks Clark for his cover story at the Daily Planet, after all he's been on 18 months bereavement leave. They decide he'll also be 'on the road' covering Superman's soul search.  Two hours later, Superman eats lunch at a diner, where the patrons inform him of a gang distributing drugs on a neighborhood. Later that evening, Superman visits the neighborhood but the drug dealers boast that Superman cannot make them leave without breaking the law. Instead, Superman uses his heat vision to burn their drug stashes, causing the panicking gangsters to attempt to save what is left of them. As Superman leaves, he assures a local kid he will return occasionally to make sure the gangsters.  On his way downtown, Superman convinces an old man to visit his doctor for his heart condition. When Superman reaches downtown, he finds a group of cops in a suicide situation. The girl is Felicity Rose, who had lost her mom and become depressed. Superman flies up to the building she is at and they talk about what she is going through. Their conversation lasts until nightfall and Superman is able to convince her to keep living and believing in a brighter future. As Felicity is taken to the hospital, a cop asks Superman if he really would had let Felicity commit suicide. Superman simply deflects the question and leaves.  The next morning, at the outskirts of the city, Superman meets a guy walking his dog. Superman has a conversation with him about what it really means to be a hero and leaves the city.