What Superman means to the world (DCAU)
From Superman Adventures 12.
What does Superman mean to the world?
This will be a wall of text but it is all really important.
In issue 11 we see that Superman gets a Kryptonian virus that is slowly killing him. It is strengthened by the yellow sun just as Superman is. His strength decreases each day (but the world doesn't know any of this yet) Superman tries to do as much good for the world as possible, rescue as many people as possible, but this unfortunatly means that he doesn't stick around for clean up. He finishes one job then goes off to the next. (one example is a burning oil rig. He saves everyone and takes them to shore but doesn't put out the fire on the ship costing them millions of $$ in damage) People start thinking he is getting lazy and they harass him for it, even those at the Daily Planet do, especially Lois. (All except Jimmy Olsen that is). Lois publishes an article about Superman is getting lazy and is begining to loose faith in humanity. That Superman is leaving jobs half finished. Perry says that that it is an example of the hype machine, you build up someone to be bigger then sliced bread then you tear them down. Jimmy is not pleased. Perry says that Lois is big on this and is attacking Superman because that is what tall good reporters do.
Lois goes to Dr. Hamilton for an interview and Dr. Hamilton tells Lois that Superman is dying. Lois is shocked and Dr. Hamilton says that Superman did not want anyone to know about this because he does not want the to worry about him or have any big shows of sympathy. He just wants to keep the world safe and do all that he can to protect humanity in the time he has left. Dr. Hamilton tells Lois that people never appreciate what they have until they lose it. They find out that there is one possible cure and that it is an extremely rare element found in a part of the world (an unspecified Easter European country) that is undergoing a massive rebellion or civil war. Lois, Hamilton, and some military men go right into the middle of the warzone.
All this time Superman gets weaker, and w find out he only has a few weeks to live. At the end of issue 11 he can barely lift a car and conventional bombs and missiles seriously hurt him.
By issue 11 we see Superman's doctor try to treat him, and keep him safe. His name is Dr. Benard and he wants Superman to rest but Superman won't because he knows that he only has a little bit of time left alive and needs to save as many people as possible. He was blessed with amazing powers and using them to help others gives his life meaning. The doctor then gets blackmailed by Luthor's friends. He was "bailed out" of a malpractice suite years ago and they will tell the world if he continues to help Superman. They give him an ear radio and tell him what to do through it. He doesn't want to abandon Superman though and has a crisis of conscience. They want him to twitch vials if Lois and co finds a cure so that Superman will die.
Meanwhile the world mourns that Superman is on his deathbed. Lois and co mine enough of the element to make a cure that they hope will work but get shot at by enemy snipers. Lois runs off with it and eventually she comes across two men from opposing sides of the civil war. They do not speak English are are about to kill each other and her in the crossfire when she draws the Superman "S" on the ground. They put aside their differences and drive her to the local airport.
Superman gets blasted by a crook with a regular pistol and gets wounded. The doctor tries to reat him when Lois hitches several different rides to New York from the overseas warzone and then a plane to Metropolis. The Doctor goes against Luthor's friends and manages to save Superman. Lois then says that they took Superman for granted, and that you don't know what you have until it is gone.
These are the last 7 pages (and cover) of that 22 page issue.