Superman: New Krypton
Encyclopedia
"New Krypton" is a Superman
story arc
written by Geoff Johns
, James Robinson, and Sterling Gates
with art by Gary Frank
, Alex Ross
, Renato Guedes
, Jamal Igle
and Pete Woods
and published by DC Comics
. The arc is an inter-title crossover
, published in Action Comics
, Superman
and Supergirl
.
The story features Superman coming to terms with the death of his adoptive father while also dealing with 100,000 Kryptonian
s 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
.
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
onto the end of 2010. The plan is to link the three Super-books (Action Comics
, Superman, and Supergirl), allowing them to cross over more fluidly on a regular basis, allowing the narratives to be tied together similar to a bi-weekly series.
According to Johns, the plan is 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
. Gates, coming onto the Supergirl title with issue #34, has stated his intention of working with Johns and Robinson, stating:
, the entire city of Kandor
now resides near the Fortress of Solitude
in the North Pole, populated by 100,000 Kryptonians.
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 and Alura, Supergirl’s parents.
After the first televised meeting between the President of the United States
and a delegation from Kandor is interrupted by a rampaging Doomsday
, 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
. However, several human police officers are killed when they refuse to hand over the Parasite
, enraging Superman.
At the same time, Lex Luthor
, 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 containing Kryptonite
. Reactron manages to kill Supergirl’s father, Zor-El.
Alura’s anger causes her to denounce humanity. Members of the Justice League
and Justice Society 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.
Flamebird and Nightwing
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 Flamebird and Nightwing exhibit powers that are not inherent to normal Kryptonians: Flamebird shoots fireballs from her hand while Nightwing uses tactile telekinesis. 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
.
The origin of Flamebird and Nightwing 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's 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
, Lois Lane's younger sister. Her identity is revealed in the final issue of the mini-series "Who is Superwoman?"
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.
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.
was produced from Marches 2009-10. That was in turn followed by The Last Stand of New Krypton from March-April 2010.
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
written by Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
, James Robinson, and Sterling Gates
Sterling Gates
Sterling Gates is an American comic book writer currently working for DC Comics.-Early life:Sterling Gates was a comic fan from a young age...
with art by Gary Frank
Gary Frank
Gary Frank is a British comic book artist, notable for pencilling on Midnight Nation and Supreme Power, both written by J. Michael Straczynski...
, Alex Ross
Alex Ross
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
, Renato Guedes
Renato Guedes
Renato Guedes is a comic book artist, currently under contract for DC Comics. Guedes is slated to be the ongoing artist for Superman.-Personal life:...
, Jamal Igle
Jamal Igle
Jamal Yaseem Igle is an American comic book artist, editor, art director and animation storyboard artist.-Career:...
and Pete Woods
Pete Woods
Peter "Pete" Woods is a comic book artist, illustrator and penciller. He is best known for his work on titles such as Backlash, Deadpool, Robin, Catwoman, Amazons Attack and Action Comics.-Biography:...
and published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. The arc is an inter-title crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
, published in Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
, Superman
Superman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
and Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
.
The story features Superman coming to terms with the death of his adoptive father while also dealing with 100,000 Kryptonian
Kryptonian
Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race of the DC Comics universe who hail from the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman...
s now living on Earth as a result of the Brainiac
Brainiac (story arc)
"Brainiac" is a five-issue comic book story arc written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank, that was published in Action Comics #866-870 by DC Comics in 2008...
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
Superman: World of New Krypton
Superman: World of New Krypton is a twelve-issue American comic book limited series produced by DC Comics. It is written by the team of James Robinson and Greg Rucka, who at the time of this publication are the current writers of the Superman and Action Comics titles, and illustrated by artist Pete...
.
Publication history
In the months before Johns started his Brainiac arc, and James RobinsonJames Dale Robinson
James Dale Robinson is a British writer of comic books and screenplays who is also known for his interest in vintage collectibles and memorabilia. His style is described as smart and energetic, built upon his vast knowledge of obscure continuity from the period known to fans and historians as the...
took over writing duties on Superman
Superman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
, both Johns and Robinson had made clear their plans for the Superman-related titles following those arcs for the rest of 2008
2008 in comics
-January:*January 9: Teen Titans: The Lost Annual, delayed since 2003, is published.*January 23: Hellblazer #240, marking the 20th anniversary of the series, is released.-February:...
onto the end of 2010. The plan is to link the three Super-books (Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
, Superman, and Supergirl), allowing them to cross over more fluidly on a regular basis, allowing the narratives to be tied together similar to a bi-weekly series.
According to Johns, the plan is 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
Sterling Gates is an American comic book writer currently working for DC Comics.-Early life:Sterling Gates was a comic fan from a young age...
. Gates, coming onto the Supergirl title with issue #34, has stated his intention of working with Johns and Robinson, stating:
Summary
Following the events of the "Brainiac" story arcBrainiac (story arc)
"Brainiac" is a five-issue comic book story arc written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank, that was published in Action Comics #866-870 by DC Comics in 2008...
, the entire city of Kandor
Kandor
Kandor is the name of the former capital city of the fictional planet Krypton in the DC Universe. It is best known for being stolen and miniaturized by the supervillain Brainiac...
now resides near the Fortress of Solitude
Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude is the occasional headquarters of Superman in DC Comics. Its predecessor, Superman's "Secret Citadel", first appeared in Superman #17, where it was said to be built into a mountain on the outskirts of Metropolis...
in the North Pole, populated by 100,000 Kryptonians.
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 and Alura, Supergirl’s parents.
After the first televised meeting between the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and a delegation from Kandor is interrupted by a rampaging Doomsday
Doomsday (comics)
Doomsday is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman: The Man of Steel #18 , and was created by writer-artist Dan Jurgens. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Doomsday as #46...
, 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
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
. However, several human police officers are killed when they refuse to hand over the Parasite
Parasite (comics)
The Parasite is the name of several fictional characters that appears in Superman comic book stories published by DC Comics. A supervillain, Parasite has the ability to temporarily absorb the energy, knowledge and super-powers of another being by touch, making him a formidable foe for the Man of...
, enraging Superman.
At the same time, Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
, who has been recruited by General Sam Lane to halt the Kryptonian “invasion,” gains control of Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
and unleashes his robot army from within the depths of the alien’s spaceship, currently being held in Kandor. During the fight, Metallo
Metallo
Metallo is a comic book supervillain and cyborg who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. Metallo's trademark is his kryptonite power source, which he often uses as a weapon against Superman. His traditional identity is John Corben...
and Reactron
Reactron
Reactron is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe, who has appeared in at least two versions. He originally appeared in The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #8 , in a story written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Carmine Infantino....
, who are working for Luthor and General Lane, are brought into Kandor as Trojan horses containing Kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
. Reactron manages to kill Supergirl’s father, Zor-El.
Alura’s anger causes her to denounce humanity. Members of the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
and Justice Society arrive in Kandor, led by the Guardian
Guardian (DC Comics)
Guardian is a comic book fictional character, a DC Comics superhero, created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. He first appeared in Star Spangled Comics #7...
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
General Zod
General Zod is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, a supervillain who is one of Superman's more-prominent enemies. The character first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
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.Flamebird and Nightwing
A new Nightwing
Chris Kent (comics)
Christopher Kent is a fictional character, a Kryptonian in the , who first appeared in Action Comics #844 , the first part of the Action Comics story arc "Superman: Last Son". Created by Richard Donner and Geoff Johns, he is the biological son of General Zod and Ursa, and the foster son of Clark...
and Flamebird
Thara Ak-Var
Thara Ak-Var is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, created by Geoff Johns and James Robinson. The character first appeared during the Superman: New Krypton storyline in Superman #681 . She is the latest character to take on the role of 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 Flamebird and Nightwing exhibit powers that are not inherent to normal Kryptonians: Flamebird shoots fireballs from her hand while Nightwing uses tactile telekinesis. 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
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
.
The origin of Flamebird and Nightwing 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
Kristin Wells
Kristin Wells is a comic book character, the secret identity of one version of DC Comics Superwoman. Created by Superman comic writer Elliot S! Maggin, Wells first appeared in Maggin's novel Superman: Miracle Monday ; he later introduced her into comics continuity as Superwoman.-Fictional character...
version of Superwoman. At the end of the New Krypton arc, Superwoman murders Agent Liberty
Agent Liberty
Agent Liberty is a fictional character from DC Comics. He first appeared in Superman vol. 2, #60 . He was also briefly a member of Justice League America during Superman's death...
, after catching him spying on General Sam Lane and Lex Luthor, calling out "Intruder Alert" as she does so. She's 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
Lucy Lane is a fictional character in the DC universe. She is the younger sister of Lois Lane and the most recent person to take on the identity of Superwoman.-Fictional character biography:...
, Lois Lane's younger sister. Her identity is revealed in the final issue of the mini-series "Who is Superwoman?"
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.
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, and Supergirl 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 storyline.Collected editions
The storyline will be collected into a number of volumes:- Volume 1: Birth (176 pages, hardcover, May 2009, ISBN 140122329X)
- Volume 2 (160 pages, hardcover, September 2009, ISBN 1401223192)
Follow-up
A twelve-part maxi-series entitled Superman: World of New KryptonSuperman: World of New Krypton
Superman: World of New Krypton is a twelve-issue American comic book limited series produced by DC Comics. It is written by the team of James Robinson and Greg Rucka, who at the time of this publication are the current writers of the Superman and Action Comics titles, and illustrated by artist Pete...
was produced from Marches 2009-10. That was in turn followed by The Last Stand of New Krypton from March-April 2010.