story arc
A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vid ...
featuring character Superman, published by American company
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
; it was written by
Geoff Johns
Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim.
He serv ...
Sterling Gates
Sterling Gates (born March 1, 1981 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American comic book and television writer.
Early life
Gates, whose father owned a used book store with a large selection of comics, became a comic book fan at a young age, describing ...
Jamal Igle
Jamal Yaseem Igle . jamaligle.com. Retrieved November 28, 2012. is an American
Pete Woods
Peter Woods is an American comic book artist, known for his work on titles such as '' Backlash'', ''Deadpool'', ''Robin'', ''Catwoman'', ''Amazons Attack'', and ''Action Comics''.
Career
Woods worked as an intern for Wildstorm comics in April 19 ...
. The arc is an inter-title
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Albums and songs
* ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album)
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album)
* ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album)
* ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
, published in ''
Action Comics
''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
''.
The story features Superman coming to terms with the death of his adoptive father while also dealing with 100,000 Kryptonians now living on Earth as a result of the '' Brainiac'' story arc. This story begins a planned "link" on ''Action Comics'', ''Superman'', and ''Supergirl'' as part of their collective plans for Superman and his cast of characters through 2008 and beyond. The events of this story lead directly into the 12-part series '' Superman: World of New Krypton''.
Publication history
In the months before Johns started his ''Brainiac'' arc, and James Robinson took over writing duties on '' Superman'', both Johns and Robinson had made clear their plans for the ''Superman''-related titles following those arcs for the rest of
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
onto the end of 2010. The plan was to link the three ''Super''-books (''
Action Comics
''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...
'', ''Superman'', and ''Supergirl''), allowing them to cross over more fluidly on a regular basis and also allowing the narratives to be tied together similar to a bi-weekly series.
According to Johns, the plan was to make readers want to get the ''Super''-titles because they would not feel that "you HAVE to read, but that you WANT to read". Robinson also added that even though neither he nor Johns would be writing ''Supergirl'', they made it clear that they were still the advisors to the book's next ongoing writer,
Sterling Gates
Sterling Gates (born March 1, 1981 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American comic book and television writer.
Early life
Gates, whose father owned a used book store with a large selection of comics, became a comic book fan at a young age, describing ...
. Gates, coming onto the ''Supergirl'' title with issue #34, has stated his intention of working with Johns and Robinson, stating:
Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude is a fictional fortress appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. It is the place where Superman first learned about his true identity, heritage, and purpose on Ear ...
in the North Pole, populated by 100,000
Kryptonians
Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race within the DC Comics universe that originated on the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman. The stories also use "Kryptonian" as an adjective to refe ...
.
Although distracted by the recent death of Jonathan Kent, Superman attempts to aid the Kryptonians in their assimilation with the rest of the Earth, something very few Kryptonians seem interested in, including the city's leaders,
Zor-El
Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A Kryptonian, he is the brother of Jor-El, husband of Alura, father of Supergirl, and paternal uncle of Superman.
Traditional depictions of Zor-El in Golde ...
and Alura, Supergirl's parents.
After the first televised meeting between the
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
and a delegation from Kandor is interrupted by a rampaging
Doomsday
Doomsday may refer to:
* Eschatology, a time period described in the eschatological writings in Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios of non-Abrahamic religions.
* Global catastrophic risk, a hypothetical event explored in science and fict ...
, Zor-El and Alura form a task force determined to preemptively end any future threat to Kandor by capturing Superman's worst villains and trapping them in the
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created ...
. However, when several human police officers refuse to hand over the
Parasite
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...
, they are killed by the task force, enraging Superman.
At the same time,
Lex Luthor
Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: April ...
, who has been recruited by General Sam Lane to halt the Kryptonian "invasion", gains control of Brainiac and unleashes his robot army from within the depths of the alien's spaceship, currently being held in Kandor. During the fight, Metallo and Reactron, who are working for Luthor and General Lane, are brought into Kandor as
Trojan horses
The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending before the war is concluded, ...
containing
kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...
. Reactron manages to kill Supergirl's father, Zor-El.
Alura's anger causes her to denounce humanity. Members of the
Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...
and
Justice Society
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
arrive in Kandor, led by the Guardian demanding the city turn over those who murdered the police officers, and a large-scale battle erupts, with Superman in the middle. It only ends when Kryptonian scientists manage to use Brainiac's technology to lift Kandor off the Earth and grow an entirely new planet underneath it, called "New Krypton", on the other side of the solar system, directly opposite the Earth, and therefore hidden by the sun.
Alura tells Superman that he is not welcome on New Krypton, although Supergirl takes up residence there with her mother. In the end, Alura frees General Zod from the Phantom Zone to help her lead their people.
New characters
''New Krypton'' introduced several new super-powered characters to the ''Superman'' universe. These characters are modern versions of older and, up until recently, mostly unused heroes.
Nightwing and Flamebird
A new Nightwing and Flamebird first appeared in Superman's Fortress of Solitude guarding the Phantom Zone projector in order to prevent anyone loyal to General Zod from freeing the despot. Both Nightwing and Flamebird exhibit powers that are not inherent to normal Kryptonians: Flamebird shoots fireballs from her hand while Nightwing uses tactile
telekinesis
Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...
. Unlike previous portrayals, Flamebird is female and is older than the teenage, male Nightwing. Starting with issue #875, they are the starring characters of ''
Action Comics
''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...
''.
The origin of Nightwing and Flamebird was revealed in ''Action Comics Annual'' #12.
Superwoman
The mysterious, masked Superwoman demonstrates apparent Kryptonian abilities. She makes an effort to comfort Supergirl following her father's death. Although her true identity is initially unknown, her costume is similar to the Kristin Wells version of Superwoman. At the end of the New Krypton arc, Superwoman murders Agent Liberty, after catching him spying on General Sam Lane and Lex Luthor, calling out "Intruder Alert" as she does so. She is later revealed to be working for General Lane.
Superwoman is the focus of the "Who is Superwoman?" arc in ''Supergirl''. She is revealed to be
Lucy Lane
Lucy Lane is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics. She is the younger sister of Lois Lane, and one of several characters who have assumed the Superwoman identity.
She was played by Maureen Teefy in the 1984 film ''Supergirl (1984 film), ...
, Lois Lane's younger sister.
Planet New Krypton
The new Planet Krypton is created by Kryptonian scientists reportedly using Brainiac's technology along with Kryptonian crystal-growth technology to grow a planet underneath the city of Kandor, which resides under one of Brainiac's force-fields.
The planet itself greatly resembles the Krypton of ''Superman the Movie'' in that it is a planet entirely covered in ice, with one lone city atop its North Pole.
Its position, within our Solar System but opposite Earth, hidden by the sun, comes from the 1940s ''Superman'' radio show where the planet Krypton existed before its destruction.
It is also inspired by the pre-Crisis Rokyn, which was likewise settled by the restored Kandorians. Unlike New Krypton, Rokyn orbited a red sun, so its inhabitants did not have superpowers.
Issue numbering
The story, ''New Krypton'', was featured as a crossover between the monthly '' Superman'', ''
Action Comics
''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...
'', and ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'' titles. Each issue was branded with a green pentagon badge indicating what part of the story it was. The numbering continued after the series conclusion, until reaching number 35 with ''Superman'' issue number 690. The numbering was restarted, and the badge was made red, for the ''Codename: Patriot'' and '' Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton'' storylines.
Rebadged with green badges:
0 – ''Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen Special'' #1 (set after ''Superman'' #680 but before ''Superman: New Krypton Special'' #1)
1 – ''New Krypton'' #1 (Also included in ''Superman: Brainiac'' TPB)
2 – ''Superman'' #681
3 – ''Guardian Special'' #1
4 – ''Action Comics'' #871
5 – ''Supergirl'' #35
6 – ''Superman'' #682
7 – ''Action Comics'' #872
8 – ''Supergirl'' #36
9 – ''Superman'' #683
10 – ''Action Comics'' #873
11 – ''Supergirl'' #37 (no shield number on cover)
12 – ''Superman'' #684
13 – ''Action Comics'' #874
14 – ''Supergirl'' #38
15 – ''Superman'' #685 (no shield number on cover)
16 – ''World of New Krypton'' #1
17 – ''Action Comics'' #875
18 – ''Supergirl'' #39
19 – ''Superman'' #686
20 – ''World of New Krypton'' #2
21 – ''Action Comics'' #876
22 – ''Supergirl'' #40
23 – ''Superman'' #687
24 – ''World of New Krypton'' #3
25 – ''Action Comics'' #877
26 – ''Supergirl'' #41
27 – ''Superman'' #688
28 – ''World of New Krypton'' #4
29 – ''Action Comics'' #878
30 – ''Supergirl'' #42
31 – ''Superman'' #689
32 – ''World of New Krypton'' #5
33 - ''Action Comics Annual'' #12 (no shield number on cover)
34 – ''Action Comics'' #879
35 – ''Supergirl'' #43
36 - ''Supergirl Annual'' #1 (no shield number on cover)
37 – ''Superman'' #690
Rebadged with red badges:
1 — ''Superman Secret Files and Origins 2009''
2 – ''World of New Krypton'' #6
3 – ''Action Comics'' #880
4 – ''Supergirl'' #44
5 – ''Superman'' #691
6 - ''Superman Annual'' #14
7 – ''Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen Special'' #2
8 – ''World of New Krypton'' #7
9 – ''Action Comics'' #881
10 – ''Supergirl'' #45
11 – ''Superman'' #692
12 – ''World of New Krypton'' #8
13 – ''Action Comics'' #882
14 – ''Supergirl'' #46
15 – ''Superman'' #693
16 – ''World of New Krypton'' #9
17 – ''Action Comics'' #883
18 – ''Supergirl'' #47
19 – ''Superman'' #694
20 – ''World of New Krypton'' #10
21 – ''Action Comics'' #884
22 – ''Supergirl'' #48
23 – ''Superman'' #695
24 – ''World of New Krypton'' #11
25 – ''Action Comics'' #885
26 – ''Supergirl'' #49
27 – ''Superman'' #696
28 – ''World of New Krypton'' #12
29 – ''Action Comics'' #886
30 – ''Supergirl'' #50
31 – ''Superman'' #697
32 – ''Adventure Comics'' #8
33 – ''Last Stand of New Krypton'' #1
34 – ''Action Comics'' #887
35 – ''Supergirl'' #51
36 – ''Superman'' #698
37 – ''Adventure Comics'' #9
38 – ''Last Stand of New Krypton'' #2
39 – ''Action Comics'' #888
40 – ''Adventure Comics'' #10
41 – ''Supergirl'' #52
42 – ''Superman'' #699
43 – ''Last Stand of New Krypton'' #3
44 – ''Action Comics'' #889
45 – ''Adventure Comics'' #11
War of the Supermen
0 - ''War of the Supermen'' #0 (FCBD)
1 - ''War of the Supermen'' #1
2 - ''War of the Supermen'' #2
3 - ''War of the Supermen'' #3
4 - ''War of the Supermen'' #4
5 - ''Superman'' #700 (aftermath)
Collected editions
The storyline will be collected into a number of volumes:
*''Volume 1: Birth'' (176 pages, hardcover, May 2009, )
*''Volume 2'' (160 pages, hardcover, September 2009, )