Superman: War of the Supermen

Last updated
Superman: War of the Supermen
War of the Supermen 1.jpg
Cover of War of the Supermen 1 (July 2010),
art by Eddy Barrows
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
ScheduleWeekly
Format Limited series
Genre
Publication dateJune – July 2010
No. of issues5 (4 plus issue numbered 0)
Main character(s) Superman
Supergirl [1]
Superboy [1]
Steel [1]
General Zod [1]
Non [1]
Ursa [1]
Creative team
Written by James Robinson [1]
Sterling Gates [1]
Penciller(s) Eddy Barrows [2]
Jamal Igle [3]
Eduardo Pansica
Wayne Faucher [4]
CAFU
Bit [5]

Superman: War of the Supermen is an American comic book limited series [6] from DC Comics that serves as the culmination to the Superman line-wide event New Krypton . The series began on Free Comic Book Day 2010, with a zero-issue released free of charge before the main limited series began the following week.

Contents

The whole event is portrayed as a "100 Minute War" in the narrative's time, although the whole event lasted one month in May 2010. [1] [7] No other Superman family books were solicited that month other than Superman/Batman and Adventure Comics neither of which crosses over into the War of the Supermen. [8]

Plot

Following the events of New Krypton , World of New Krypton and Last Stand of New Krypton , the people of the new planet Krypton and Earth wage war after General Zod issues a formal declaration after discovering a human (Lex Luthor) helped destroy their planet. Superman is caught in the crossfire and must keep peace between Earth and the people that represent his heritage.

Prologue

As the series opens on the heels of the conclusion to Last Stand of New Krypton, Superman is furious that General Zod is moving forward with his plans to make war with Earth. He punches his way into Zod's underground military installation and confronts him. Superman declares his intent to shut down Zod and his war machine. He punctuates his remarks by landing a hard right fist to Zod's jaw.

Rather than retaliate personally, Zod has his minions, Ursa and Non, do his dirty work. Ursa attacks Superman with a kryptonite knife, which draws blood. Superman damages the knife with his heat vision, but does not completely destroy it. Then Non attacks from above, descending feet first and landing hard on Superman. Non and Ursa restrain Superman while Zod gloats.

The entire time, Superman and Zod are engaged in dialogue that recaps the events of Brainiac through Last Stand while Zod gloats and threatens to destroy all humans on Earth and Superman expresses his determination to prevent this. The final two-page spread depicts countless Kryptonians speeding towards Earth in the first wave of the attack. [9]

The War Begins

The story then continues as Zod gloats over his released forces, telling Superman there's no hope. Superman insists there's hope, and tries to escape, fighting Zod and his crew. Supergirl comes upon Reactron being tortured by Alura, and sides against her mother. Reactron reveals he was always meant to be caught, and begins to detonate. Alura shoves Supergirl into a containment vessel just before Reactron explodes, destroying the planet New Krypton.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane bring Guardian, Nightwing, Flamebird, Steel, and Superboy up to speed on what's been happening with General Sam Lane. Superwoman hears, and smiles. Superman and Supergirl cry over the lost planet. Supergirl takes up the battle standard and flees. The New Kryptonian armada approaches Earth as Zod spurs them on. [10]

In the Daily Planet newsroom, Lois reveals New Krypton is dead when Superwoman bursts in and abducts her. In space, Supergirl and Superman power through the field of kryptonite meteors until they crash into Callisto, New Krypton's moon. Kara laments that the planet's destruction is her fault, and Superman sadly reveals she is the Last Daughter of New Krypton.

The First Wave

Meanwhile, Jimmy, Steel, Nightwing, Flamebird, Superboy and the Guardian track Natasha Irons to a cell inside Mount Rushmore and launch a rescue mission. At the same moment inside Project 7734, Codename Assassin and General Lane are rejoicing over the deaths of the Kryptonians as Lucy arrives with Lois. The General is hopeful until he sees Earth's Mars base is being destroyed by Zod's forces. Kal and Kara arrive and force both sides back; Zod uses this time to launch an armada of soldiers directly for Earth.

Earth Retaliates

Sam communicates with Lex Luthor, who reveals he has harnessed the power from Jax-Ur's Rao corpse and the government's time pool technology to launch their counterattack. In return, he regains control of LexCorp along with his pardon. With the deal done, a missile is shot through the black hole/time pool directly into Earth's yellow sun, turning it red. Now powerless in space, Superman, Supergirl and the Kryptonians begin to suffocate. [11]

Superboy, Steel, Guardian, Nightwing and Flamebird, and Krypto the Superdog all converge on Project 7734 at Mount Rushmore. Steel is carrying Jimmy Olsen and Steel's niece Natasha Irons, now rescued from Project 7734. Jimmy Olsen gets Natasha's story out over his newsgroup called the Newsboy Legion.

The Sun Restored

Nightwing and Flamebird realize Lex Luthor is using the fake god Rao to turn the sun red. Flamebird flies to the sun to save the Kryptonians and Nightwing follows. Nightwing tells Flamebird that he will do this with her, but the Nightwing apparition takes him away to the Phantom Zone, leaving Flamebird to ignite and turn the sun back to yellow. Flamebird dies as Superman and Supergirl catch their now returned super breaths and watch as 73,000 Kryptonians die in space. Zod notes there are now only 7,000 Kryptonians left. Zod, Non, and Ursa fly toward Earth to lead the attack by the survivors. All over the planet, the Kryptonians wreak havoc by killing world leaders, destroying landmarks, and facing off against both super-heroes and Green kryptonite robots. Ursa flies toward the White House seeking to kill the President, until she is intercepted by Supergirl, who forces her into a fight.

General Zod leads his forces to Metropolis, where Superman stands atop the Daily Planet building waiting for them for the final showdown. [12]

Superman vs. General Zod: The Final Battle

As Superman and Zod clash, Zod reveals he has resolved to turn Earth into New Krypton. Superboy manages to recover the Phantom Zone projector from the Fortress of Solitude—stating that the Phantom Zone "got better" (a reference to Nightwing and Flamebird run on Action Comics ) in response to Zod's claims of having destroyed it—and uses it to send Non to the Zone as he attacks the Justice League. After narrowly defeating Ursa, Supergirl flies into the military base to confront General Lane, ready to kill him in revenge for the death of her people, only for Lois to talk Supergirl down. Refusing to face judgment for his crimes and realizing that he has gone too far in his plan to protect Earth from the Kryptonians, Lane apparently commits suicide. As Superboy arrives at Superman's fight with Zod, Superman attempts to drag Zod into the Zone with him. Nightwing arrives and sends Superman back to Earth so that he can continue to defend it while remaining in the Phantom Zone to ensure that Zod remains trapped. Nightwing reverts to a young boy inside the Zone, encounters Mon-El, and the two journey off together within the Zone.

Aftermath

In the aftermath, Clark and Lois reflect sadly on how New Krypton's appearance resulted in such a pointless war, Clark expressing his uncertainty about whether any Kryptonians are left in hiding on Earth while Lois promises to write the truth about her father's actions despite the media portraying him as a hero for his 'defensive action', hoping that someday humanity will be ready for interaction with other alien races. [13]

Collected editions

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krypton (comics)</span> Fictional planet, native world of Superman

Krypton is a fictional planet appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly appearing or mentioning in stories starring the superhero Superman as the world he came from. The planet was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and was named after the chemical element krypton. The planet was first mentioned in Action Comics #1 and made its first appearance in Superman #1 (1939).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phantom Zone</span> Fictional dimension in the DC Universe

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, and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp. It was frequently used in the Superman comics before the continuity was rebooted in the 1980s, after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and has appeared occasionally since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kryptonian</span> Fictional race native to the planet Krypton

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 refer to anything created by or associated with the planet itself or the cultures that existed on it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Zod</span> DC Comics character

General Zod is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly known as an adversary of the superhero Superman. The character, who first appeared in Adventure Comics #283, was created by Robert Bernstein and initially designed by George Papp. As a Kryptonian, he exhibits the same powers and abilities as Superman and is consequently viewed as one of his greatest enemies alongside Lex Luthor, Darkseid and Brainiac. He is also well known for his famous catchphrase, “Kneel before Zod!”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ursa (DC Comics)</span> Fictional character of the DC Universe

Ursa is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in the 1978 film Superman: The Movie portrayed by actress Sarah Douglas. The character made her comic book debut in Action Comics #845. An adversary of the superhero Superman and accomplice of General Zod, she is typically depicted as having been imprisoned in the Phantom Zone along with Zod and Non.

Flamebird is the name used by six different fictional comic book characters who have appeared in books published by DC Comics, specifically from the Superman and Batman mythos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jax-Ur</span> Comics character

Jax-Ur is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, usually as an adversary of Superman. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp, the character first appeared in Adventure Comics #289. He has been described as "the worst troublemaker in the Phantom Zone" and was the first criminal banished there.

The Superman dynasty, an extension of the House of El, is a lineage of DC Comics superheroes. The term is used for the descendants of Kal-El, the original Superman, who continue to uphold his legacy of heroism well into the 853rd century, as depicted in the DC One Million crossover. Repeated references to members of the Superman dynasty as Superman's "descendants" and at least one reference to them as the "blood of his blood" would seem to indicate that they are, in fact, the biological descendants of Superman in some fashion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faora</span> Comics character

Faora is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The character was created by Cary Bates and Curt Swan, and first appeared in Action Comics #471. Most commonly, Faora is an ally and sometimes the wife and/or lover of Superman's Kryptonian nemesis General Zod.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Lane (comics)</span> Fictional character

Samuel Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the father of Lucy Lane and Lois Lane and the father-in-law of Clark Kent / Superman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Kent (character)</span> Fictional superhero in DC Comics

Christopher Kent (Lor-Zod) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #844 and was created by Richard Donner, Geoff Johns, and Adam Kubert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rao (comics)</span>

Rao is a fictional star in the DC Comics Universe. It is the red giant that the planet Krypton orbited. The title also refers to a supervillain of the same name and same Kryptonian etymology.

<i>Superman: New Krypton</i>

"New Krypton" is a 2008–09 comic book story arc featuring character Superman, published by American company DC Comics; it was written by Geoff Johns, James Robinson and Sterling Gates, with art by Gary Frank, Alex Ross, Renato Guedes, Jamal Igle and Pete Woods. The arc is an inter-title crossover, published in Action Comics, Superman and Supergirl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alura (DC Comics)</span> Fictional character in the DC Comics Universe

Alura In-Ze is a character appearing in media published by DC Comics, usually those involving Superman. Alura is the Kryptonian daughter of In-Zee, wife of Zor-El, mother of Supergirl, and paternal aunt of Superman. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the character first appeared in Action Comics #252.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thara Ak-Var</span> Comics character

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. Along with the new Nightwing, Thara is the feature character in Action Comics beginning with issue #875. Thara Ak-Var's name is a reference to Ak-Var, who was the second pre-Crisis Flamebird, and his wife, Thara.

<i>Superman: World of New Krypton</i>

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 Woods.

"World Without Superman" is a Superman comic book story arc published by DC Comics. It takes place in Action Comics written by Greg Rucka with art by Sidney Teles and Superman written by James Robinson with art by Renato Guedes. The story deals with Metropolis dealing with a world without Superman, who has gone to live on New Krypton to keep General Zod in check. As a result, the two Superman series, Action Comics and Superman star Nightwing & Flamebird and Mon-El respectively.

"H'El on Earth" is a Superman crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Written primarily by Scott Lobdell, it details the appearance of H'El, a mysterious Kryptonian. The plot of "H'El on Earth" follows H'El's plan to restore Krypton and the Superman family's attempts to stop him.

Kandor is a fictional city spared from the doomed world of Krypton in DC Comics' Superman titles. Before Krypton exploded, the futuristic city was captured by the supervillain Brainiac, miniaturized by his shrinking ray and placed inside a glass bell jar. Defeating Brainiac and taking possession of the jar, Superman brings the city to his Arctic hideout, the Fortress of Solitude, and spends many years attempting to restore it to normal size.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "DC's WAR OF THE SUPERMEN A 100 Minute War, All in May". Newsarama.com. 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  2. ↑ "DCU IN 2010: THE WAR OF THE SUPERMEN BEGINS | DC Comics". Dcu.blog.dccomics.com. 2009-12-07. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  3. ↑ "The WAR OF THE SUPERMEN starts now | DC Comics". Dcu.blog.dccomics.com. 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  4. ↑ "SUPERMAN: WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #2". Dccomics.com. 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  5. ↑ "SUPERMAN: WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #3". Dccomics.com. 2010-05-19. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  6. ↑ Joey Esposito (2009-12-08). "DC Unveils Next Event: War of the Supermen". CraveOnline.com. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  7. ↑ "Prepare for 'The 100 Minute War' | DC Comics". Dcu.blog.dccomics.com. 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  8. ↑ "Comics". Dccomics.com. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  9. ↑ Robinson, James and Gates, Sterling  (w). Superman: War of the Supermen 0(May 2010),DC Comics
  10. ↑ Robinson, James and Gates, Sterling  (w). Superman: War of the Supermen 1(May 2010),DC Comics
  11. ↑ Robinson, James and Gates, Sterling  (w). Superman: War of the Supermen 2(May 2010),DC Comics
  12. ↑ Robinson, James and Gates, Sterling  (w). Superman: War of the Supermen 3(May 2010),DC Comics
  13. ↑ Robinson, James and Gates, Sterling  (w). Superman: War of the Supermen 4(May 2010),DC Comics
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.