The bull-headed figure's massive hand had closed around Superman's body, lifting him high off the
ground and squeezing with a power the Man of Steel found hard to believe possible. Bracing himself,
he flexed every muscle in his body in an effort to break free, with scant success.
At any moment, he expected to hear Martian Manhunter's telepathic voice inside his head, detailing
what he and the others must do to overcome this predicament But J'onn wasn't here, and the only
thoughts in his head were his own.
Exerting all of his fantastic strength, Superman
managed to pry the figure's treelike fingers apart for a fleeting moment. Everything was swirling bluegreen light. He could see no sign of his comrades.
Superman blinked, bringing his heat vision into play. He trained the focus of the narrow beam on the
fingers that held him in their unbreakable grip, the heat quickly mounting until it felt like the surface of
the sun. Black smoke poured from the creature's charred flesh, and Superman seized his opportunity
as its hand relaxed its grip slightly.
With one superhuman effort, the Man of Steel broke free. Powering into flight, he tried to put distance
between himself and the sixty-foot-tall bull-headed figure. But no matter how hard he tried, he could
only move a few inches. The air was thick and viscous, and the more Superman struggled against it,
the harder the air seemed to ding to him and slow him even more.