I'm not sure of what took place today... Whether you came back, whether you were never really gone... Or whether it was just a coincidence, and a few G.I.'s whose names we'll never know helped me save this lovely planet I've come to call home. It doesn't matter, I suppose. It worked; that's what counts. In a way, we're both just soldiers, doing our jobs. Soldiers in the cause of life. Thanks. 
- — Clark Kent
DC Comics Presents #42 is an issue of the series DC Comics Presents (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 1982.
Synopsis for Superman and the Unknown Soldier: "The Specter of War!"
After dispelling a radiation cloud from a nuclear testing site, Superman returns to the Daily Planet and changes into his civilian identity of Clark Kent. He asks Perry White if he could write an editorial piece concerning the causes of war. As the two men speak, a soldier enters the city room and hands Clark an envelope. The soldier disappears and Clark reads the letter. It is addressed to Superman and it warns him about a sabotaged missile set to detonate at a military base. Superman uses his super-hearing to locate the missile and succeeds in hurling it into outer space where it explodes harmlessly.
As Clark Kent, he visits the Pentagon to try and get some answers. The soldiers on the base apprehend him and are prepared to keep him detained. The same mysterious soldier that gave Clark the letter appears at the Pentagon and orders the other officers to let him go. Clark tries to speak with the soldier, but once again he quickly disappears.
Clark changes back into Superman and flies to the Justice League satellite. With the help of the Red Tornado, he determines that the mysterious officer that he had encountered might have been the legendary Unknown Soldier. He uses the Justice League's computer system to learn about a military base in the North Pole that might be responsible for the inexplicable missile launches. He flies there, but the commanding officer, Major Amos, activates a device called the Microtronic Beamer, which initiates the launch sequences for all of Earth's nuclear missiles. Superman flies at the speed of light and succeeds in defusing all of the affected missiles, but for one. With the final missile, he burrows it deep into the ground where it explodes. Superman absorbs the bulk of the blast. Returning to the rogue military base, he finds NATO officers have apprehended Major Amos and his men. The commanding officer tells Superman that they were contacted by some "soldier" who marched all of the men outside at gunpoint.
Afterwards, Superman visits the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Appearing in Superman and the Unknown Soldier: "The Specter of War!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Survivors
- Major Amos (Single appearance)
- Doctor Klest (Single appearance)
- General Wilson (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Sandman: "Whatever Happened to the Sandman?"
A woman named Miss Baxter invites Wesley Dodds into her home. As Dodds enters the parlor, he finds the room is filled with men who now hold him at gunpoint. One of them is "Snooze" Simpson, a gangster who knows that Wes Dodds was once the adventurer known as the Sandman. He wants revenge against Dodds for arresting him in the past. Wes has no idea what "Snooze" is talking about. Miss Baxter reveals that she discovered Dodd's dual identity some time ago when her father, Wes' psychiatrist, gave him a formula that made him forget his identity. Wes wanted to forget his career as the Sandman because he could no longer bear the guilt of accidentally transforming his former partner Sandy into the Silicoid Monster. The gangsters trap Dodds inside an over-sized hourglass. One of them mentions Sandy's name, which serves as a trigger that restores Dodds' memories. He punches his way free, dons his Sandman garb and apprehends the thugs. Afterwards, he pledges to find out what became of his old partner.
Appearing in Sandman: "Whatever Happened to the Sandman?"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sandy the Golden Boy (Cameo)
Antagonists:
- Miss Baxter (Single appearance)
- Snooze Simpson (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Raymond Baxter (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- "The Specter of War!" was reprinted in Showcase Presents: DC Comics Presents Superman Team-Ups Vol. 2.
- It is unclear in this issue whether the Unknown Soldier is still alive or if he is actually a ghost.
- The "Whatever Happened to the Sandman?" story-arc continues next issue in "Whatever Happened to Sandy the Golden Boy?".
- Sandy the Golden Boy was turned into a Silicoid monster in Justice League of America #113.