Trish Q, the now former gossip columnist at the Daily Planet, is getting her first taste of real investigative journalism as she attempts to get the story behind Superman’s latest battle in this week’s Action Comics #1016. If you’ve been keeping up, you know that it’s been, to put it mildly, a wild day for the Man of Steel, who was unexpectedly visited by fledgling superhero Naomi McDuffie before being suddenly called out by the mysterious Red Cloud.

Would-be super-villains calling out Kal-El is nothing new around Metropolis. It’s practically a rite of passage. But the city’s latest villain has received quite a Year of the Villain upgrade from Lex Luthor, it appears. It doesn’t take her long to seem to get the upper hand.

That’s right, against Superman. In her very first battle with him.

While Clark’s been stressing Leviathan and the Legion of Doom, it appears he’s missed a major threat back at home. Which brings us back to poor Trish. The writer means well, but she’s not exactly used to getting to the truth when she’s presented with such fantastic reports, especially when they all seem to suggest the Red Cloud may be too much for the Man of Steel to handle. If he can’t save Metropolis from this new threat, who can? Perhaps our exclusive first look at this pivotal issue may offer some hints…

Action Comics #1016 by Brian Michael Bendis, Szymon Kudranski and Brad Anderson is in stores Wednesday.