The problem with a lot of these stories - both in the Silver Age and the ones that harken back to them - is that they start out with a strong hook, but then don't know how the hell to wrap things up. There'll be a terrific beginning that grabs your attention ('Oh, no! Lex Luthor has siphoned away Superman's powers for himself! How will Superman beat his superpowered arch-villain with no powers himself?'), then the story ambles along for a bit ('I, Luthor, shall turn Mount Rushmore into a GIANT MONUMENT TO MYSELF! Just try and stop me, EX-Superman!'), and then we get to the last page, and plot points scramble all over themselves and trip each other up in order to be resolved in the very last panel ('You see, Luthor, I was only PRETENDING to have lost my powers, and you didn't really gain mine - it was all the result of a comet giving off unknown radiation passing too close to Earth. As it happened, you happened to be stroking Mr. Diabolical, your persian cat, at the exact moment you pulled the lever and the comet's rays struck you. The combination of energy from your fizzled experiment, the comet's radiations and the static electricity generated by the cat's fur gave you powers that were a remarkable simulation of mine - and that you would have kept, if you'd just kept stroking cats! But since you refused to do any good deeds with your superpowers, such as rescuing cats from trees, you came into contact with none of them - and you've lost your powers for good! Ha ha, the jokes on you!') This would seem to be a less extreme example of the same thing.