Walking with Superman: Day 85

Superman's journey so far has been punctuated with publicity and popularity. People in nearly every town he's visited have welcomed him as a hero and celebrity, and while the Man of Steel is not typically one to bask in such a limelight, he would never think of begrudging people their parades and celebrations, no matter the occasion. His reception in this latest city, however, is considerably colder. There are no crowds of onlookers, there is no line of autograph-seekers, no queue of hands to shake. Every face he sees, every whispered comment he hears lets him know that this place, this city, does not welcome Superman, not since he was gone when they needed him. Here, the shield he wears on his chest is not a symbol of hope, but of destruction and death. Superman has arrived in Coast City, California. Here, only one person would walk the lonely streets with the Last Son of Krypton, a person who knows what it is like to be unwelcome: the Phantom Stranger. And he's about to give Superman a glimpse into what might have been...