This Just Happened: The Oracle Awakens

SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read SUPERMAN #16 yet and do not wish to know what happens, stop reading this post now (major spoiler alerts ahead!)

 

From the creative team of writer Scott Lobdell and artist Kenneth Rocafort, SUPERMAN #16 serves as the next chapter of “H’el On Earth,” a crossover event taking place in SUPERMAN, SUPERBOY and SUPERGIRL that unites all of the Super Family for the first time in DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 and puts them into battle with the maniacal alien, H’el, who will stop at nothing to bring back Krypton from extinction … even at the expense of Earth!

 

In “H’el On Earth,” Superman has come face to face with his worst nightmare: a creature of unknown Kryptonian origin who is not only more powerful than the Man of Steel, but smarter than Supergirl and more lethal than Superboy. H’el claims to be a space explorer sent on a mission by Jor-el (a.k.a. Superman’s dad) to safeguard the accumulated science and culture of Krypton aboard his ship when the destruction of his home planet became imminent. As a result of his intense travels through space, H’el has been transformed and now remains a grotesque version of who he used to be. But when all hope seems lost, he discovers the existence of two lost children of Krypton living on Earth: Superman and Supergirl.

 

Upon his arrival on Earth, H’el reaches out to ask for Superman and Supergirl’s assistance in the resurrection of their home planet. During their disastrous first meeting, H’el produces a prisoner to prove his knowledge of Krypton and its controversial past — a clone like the ones that nearly destroyed the planet years ago: Superboy!

 

H’el attempts to kill Superboy in order to gain the trust of Superman and almost succeeds! As Superboy’s life hangs by a thread, the Man of Steel leaves Metropolis and H’el to take him to the Fortress of Solitude. There, he gives Superboy his personal Kryptonian battle armor to help him heal from his injuries.

 

As Superboy recovers, H’el banishes them from the Fortress of Solitude and takes Supergirl on a tour of the bottle city of Kandor in order to gain her trust and allegiance. Afterwards, he succeeds more than he could ever dream when Supergirl decides to become romantically involved with him! Just in case you missed the beginnings of their blossoming relationship, click here to find out what happened!

 

With H’el and Supergirl alone in his fortress plotting the resurrection of Krypton, Superman decides that the problem is too big for one hero to handle and calls in some friends: The Justice League! Upon the arrival of the League, Superman and Superboy lead an assault on the Fortress of Solitude.

 

After being thrown through alternate dimensions and witnessing the full array of power at H’el’s disposal, Superman and his allies finally gain entrance to the fortress … but it’s too late! H’el’s plan has been set into motion and a power unlike any other is unleashed upon the planet. It seems like the end for everyone on Earth – and a new beginning for Krypton!

 

Meanwhile in the far reaches of space, a powerful entity awakens: The Oracle. He serves one purpose and one purpose only: to bear witness to the end of a world. Could this really the end for Earth? And can Krypton really be brought back from extinction? Place your bets in the comments section!

 

Below, take a look at the final page of SUPERMAN #16 (in stores now) as The Oracle awakens and demonstrates his immense power. And click here for your first sneak peeks at next month's SUPERMAN #17!

 

Tags: 
Superman, Scott Lobdell, kenneth rocafort, H'el on Earth

First Look at SUPERMAN #17

Hitting stores today, SUPERMAN #16 serves as the next chapter in “H’El on Earth” - a crossover event taking place in SUPERMAN, SUPERBOY and SUPERGIRL that unites all of the Super Family for the first time in DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 and puts them into battle with the maniacal alien, H’el, who will stop at nothing to bring back Krypton from extinction … even at the expense of Earth!

 

If you’ve already read the issue, then chances are your jaw is still mopping up the floor underneath you. And you likely have tons of burning questions – like does the appearance of the all-new [name redacted] really mean what it says it means? And if so, what will the Man of Steel have to do in order to save [info redacted]?

 

While there’s still a month until your questions get answered in SUPERMAN #17, the startling conclusion of “H’El on Earth,” we’ve got a special surprise for you today to help make the wait until February 27 a little easier. Below, take an exclusive first look at Kenneth Rocafort’s interior art for SUPERMAN #17, and sound off in the comments section below about what you think will happen in the explosive finale to this tremendous crossover!

 

 

 

 

Tags: 
Superman, kenneth rocafort, H'el on Earth

Scott Lobdell Talks SUPERMAN #16 and "H'El on Earth"

Last month, readers were shocked as the “H’El on Earth” crossover delivered a huge twist: a budding relationship between the maniacal H’El and the homesick Supergirl (for more about that and for a re-cap of the crossover event thus far, click here).

 

If you picked up SUPERMAN #15 when it hit shelves yesterday, you already know who the Man of Steel will turn to for help to put a stop to H’El and his destructive plan: The Justice League. But when the World’s Greatest Superheroes go to the battlefield against Kara and her Kryptonian ally in this month’s issue #16, will Superman be able to stop his cousin before it’s too late for our planet?

 

“There's a fight coming up between Flash and Supergirl, and when it was originally being written, one of the initial thoughts was, well, Flash is a member of the Justice League, so Kara would have to think twice about going up against these powerful heroes,” writer Scott Lobdell teased to NEWSARAMA about the upcoming SUPERMAN #16. “But again, that's just not true with these characters. As far as I can tell, Kara has been on Earth for about three weeks and hasn't met the Justice League. And she sees them as a bunch of people in costumes with kind of limited superpowers. As far as she's concerned, a group of people trying to express authority over her when she's trying to get Krypton back on its feet, she would have no personal regard or even respect for the Justice League.”

 

For more from Lobdell about SUPERMAN #16 and “H’El on Earth,” check out the full interviews that run today with the writer in MTV GEEK, COMIC VINE, and NEWSARAMA. And don’t forget to visit all three outlets for sneak peeks at Kenneth Rocafort’s interior art for SUPERMAN #16, which flies into stores on January 30th.

 

Tags: 
Superman, H'el on Earth, Scott Lobdell, kenneth rocafort

This Just Happened: Supergirl’s Unexpected Kiss

SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read SUPERGIRL #15 and do not wish to know what happens, stop reading this post now (major spoilers ahead!)

 

In “H’el On Earth,” Superman has come face to face with his worst nightmare: a creature of unknown Kryptonian origin who is not only more powerful than the Man of Steel, but smarter than Supergirl and more lethal than Superboy. Currently spanning across the pages of SUPERMAN, SUPERBOY and SUPERGIRL, this crossover event unites all of these super-beings for the first time in DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 and puts them into battle with the maniacal alien, H’el, who will stop at nothing to bring back Krypton from extinction ... even at the expense of Earth!

 

To all those he meets, H’el claims that he is a space explorer sent on a mission by Jor-el (also known as the father of Superman) to safeguard the accumulated science and culture of Krypton aboard his ship when the destruction of his home planet became imminent. As a result of his travels through space, H’el has been transformed and now remains a grotesque version of the man he used to be. But when all hope seemed lost, he discovered that two lost children of Krypton were living on Earth: Superman and Supergirl.

 

Upon his arrival on Earth, H’el reaches out to Superman and Supergirl to ask for their assistance in the resurrection of Krypton. Supergirl seems eager to help while Superman remains hesitant about H’el’s true intentions. In a confrontation of epic proportions, H’el produces a prisoner to prove his knowledge of Krypton and its controversial past – a clone just like the ones who nearly destroyed the planet years ago: Superboy!   

 

To gain the trust of Superman, H’el offers to kill the clone. In a moment of fury, the Man of Steel lashes out against H’el in order to save the boy and H’el uses the opportunity to lure Supergirl away from Superman. And in SUPERGIRL #15, H’el banishes Superman and Superboy from the Fortress of Solitude while he takes Kara on a tour of Kandor to gain her trust and allegiance.

 

“Kal is the ‘Last Son of Krypton,’ but he never really knew it like Kara and H’el did,” writer Mike Johnson told COMIC BOOK RESOURCES. “The things H’el does that bother Kal don’t bother Kara in the same way, because she can understand and sympathize with H’el’s motivations. One of the many cool things about the crossover is that each title has its own unique role to play.”

 

The tour ends with H’el promising Supergirl that if his plan succeeds she can return to the Krypton she once knew. For the first time since coming to Earth, Kara has found someone that truly understands her hopes and dreams. And as H’el and Supergirl stand alone in the Fortress of Solitude, the thought of their return to Krypton unites them – not only as allies but as something much more.

 

In that moment, H’el and Supergirl kiss for the first time! Could this be the start of a Kryptonian romance? And more importantly, what will Superman do when he finds out about his cousin and his new enemy’s developing relationship!? Place your bets in the comments section!

 

Below, take a look at the final page of SUPERGIRL #15 as H’el and Supergirl share a kiss in the Fortress of Solitude. And don’t forget to pick up your copy of the issue, in stores now!

 

Tags: 
supergirl, mike johnson, H'el on Earth

5.2 Reasons it's a Great Time to be a Superman Fan

You ever hear of this Superman guy? Faster than a speeding bullet? Powerful enough to launch a locomotive into space by dropkicking it in its face? Able to leap tall buildings by just flying right over them—basically, pointing at gravity and laughing? Ha! Gravity.

 

Yeah, just about everyone’s heard of Superman, and if you haven’t then let us be the first to welcome you to Earth! It's a fun place—scary at times—filled with wondrous and magical things, like bite-sized pizza snacks and comic books and cartoons and a whole Internet full of dancing kittens. Trust us, you’re going to love those…even if you aren’t exactly sure why.

 

But in all seriousness, if you are a Superman fan or if you've been looking for a good time to metaphorically take a peek inside the Fortress of Awesomitude, now's the time. Mark your calendars, tack a note onto your Pinterest board (not literally, though, cause then you'd have a hole in your screen), and do a little dance in a bright red cape because there’s never been a better time to be a Superman fan. In fact, let’s count off the 5.2 Reasons it's a Great Time to be a Superman Fan!

 

1. Superman: Earth One

Yesterday saw the release of SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE Vol. 2, the second Superman installment in the graphic novel line that reinterprets and reintroduces classic characters for new readers. In the book's first volume, writer J. Michael Straczynski introduced a Man of Steel trying to find his place in the world and ultimately discovering one he never quite expected. It boiled down the essence of both Superman and Clark Kent and mixed it into a modern day context, exploring the emotional and personal struggle that comes with being an outsider. With Vol. 2, things get CRAZY—and we mean in that in the greatest way possible. A well-known Superman villain makes his debut, the Man of Steel makes a moral choice that had our jaws on the floor and there's a part with a childhood pet that brought a tear to our eye (it’s always the pets!). That’s to say nothing about the twist at the end involving a certain infamous villain that left us salivating for more…

 

 

2. Huge, Game-Changing Stories

We're talking so big they could collapse under their own weight and cause an explosion so huge it'll rip the very fabric of space and time and bend it to its will. Exaggeration? Maybe. But for a long time, these were two truths about Superman: he worked at the Daily Planet and he loved Lois Lane. Well friends, these times are a changing. Most recently in SUPERMAN #13, Clark Kent left the Daily Planet, and as of JUSTICE LEAGUE #12, Superman's now dating Wonder Woman. Say what you will about Lois Lane and whether or not she's the only one for the Man of Steel, the storytelling potential alone in this coupling is over 9,000. Which is what makes both these things so exciting—the stories set to be told look amazing!

 

 

3. H'El on Earth

Of course, Superman won't be flying solo in the days ahead. Since the launch of DC COMICS—THE NEW 52, the Superman family of titles have remained more or less separate, with both Superboy and Supergirl following their own individual storylines. But with the "H'El on Earth" crossover, the sons and daughters and half-clones of Krypton finally get together for some good old-fashioned fun—and by fun we mean dealing with a dangerous new Kryptonian threat and some very conflicting viewpoints on how to handle the situation. We're positive the latter will be handled with hugs. Lots of face-punching, heat-vision-enforced hugs.

 

 

4. Supergirl Kicks "S"

If you haven't been reading Supergirl, you need to go here now and start. Seriously. We've been fans of writer Mike Johnson ever since his Lil' League arc on Superman/Batman (with art by American Vampire's Rafael Albuquerque) and unsurprisingly, he has been doing an amazing job on the Girl of Steel's self-titled series, penning a young Kara Zor-El that feels like a real teenaged girl lost in a world she barely understands—like "Alice in Wonderland," if Alice had superpowers and beat up the Queen of Hearts for being a crazy person and threatening the lives of pretty much everyone. It's a phenomenally well-written series only further enhanced by the incredibly beautiful art by Mahmud Asrar.

 

 

In fact, when it comes to all the Superman family of titles...

 

5. Amazing Artists All Around

We mentioned Mahmud Asrar, but we also have RB Silva on Superboy, Shane Davis on Superman: Earth One, Tony S. Daniel coming to Action Comics and now Kenneth Rocafort on the core Superman title. It's art so gorgeous you'll want to stab your eyes out because you'll never see something so breathtaking again (though please, for Rao's sake, DO NOT stab your eyes out).

 

 

And the Super-fan fun doesn't stop here. It continues well into next year, with two projects that look to take us up, up and away into the stratosphere of excellence:

 

5.1 The Man of Steel

 

 

5.2 Scott Snyder. Jim Lee.

 

If that Jim Lee image has you dying to find out more, be sure to check out the video we shot with this creative dream team at New York Comic-Con. Now, we're going to head out because we're pretty sure traffic on our drive home won't be moving faster than a speeding bullet. But feel free to sound off about which of the super titles you're enjoying the most in comments below, and let us know which upcoming one you're most looking forward to.

Tags: 
5.2 Reasons, Superman, superman: earth one, H'el on Earth, supergirl, man of steel

Announcing "H'EL ON EARTH"

This fall, there will be an electrifying crossover occurring in SUPERMAN, SUPERBOY and SUPERGIRL. Spanning across all the series’ #14 issues, “H’el on Earth” will put these super-beings into battle with the maniacal alien, H’el.

 

Written by Tom DeFalco and featuring art by R.B. Silva and Rob Lean, SUPERBOY #14 guest stars Supergirl and the Teen Titans. Fresh from the events of SUPERMAN #13, Superman’s deadliest new foe comes after Kon-El!

 

Picking up right there, Supergirl too meets the villainous H’el. But what happens when Kara finds herself agreeing with his pro-Krypton/anti-Earth plans? SUPERGIRL #14 is written by Mike Johnson and illustrated by Mahmud Asrar.

 

And in SUPERMAN #14, written by Scott Lobdell and illustrateed by Kenneth Rocafort, the Man of Steel himself will be forced to come face to face with the gang’s worst nightmare: a creature of unknown Kryptonian origin who is not only more powerful than Superman, but is also smarter than Supergirl and more lethal than Superboy. How will Superman combat a threat of this magnitude? We don’t want to spoil anything so all we can say for now is that his actions will change the course of a planet’s fate!

 

Below, take an exclusive first look at “H’el on Earth” by checking out the covers for SUPERBOY #14, SUPERGIRL #14 and SUPERMAN #14.

 

The cover for SUPERBOY #14 (on sale November 14) by R.B. Silva and Rob Lean:

 

 

The cover for SUPERGIRL #14 (on sale November 21) by Mahmud Asrar:

 

 

And last but certainly not least, the cover for SUPERMAN #14 (on sale November 28) by Kenneth Rocafort:

 

 

Tags: 
Superman, superboy, supergirl, H'el on Earth, tom defalco, r.b. silva, Rob Lean, mike johnson, mahmud asrar, Scott Lobdell, kenneth rocafort
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