Superman heads back to Smallville after his team-up with the Doom Patrol against Metallo (during MEN OF STEEL, 1988). However, he’s unaware he’s being followed by Supergirl! But who is she?
The mystery of this new Supergirl has been building ever since she showed up in the ice in Antarctica, suffering from amnesia. Since then, she briefly disguised herself as Lana Lang and alluded to working with Lex Luthor. Is she friend or foe?
Crossover: This is a three-part crossover between two Superman titles.
Must-Reads: In the Full Reading Order and the Fallout section, story arcs/issues marked with a ✔ are essential reading.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- A TWIST IN TIME (1987) – Superman meets the Superboy of the Pocket Universe
- MILLENNIUM (1987-1988) – The Silver Banshee’s last tussle with Superman
- MEN OF STEEL (1988) – Superman/Doom Patrol team-up
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers; bold issues are ‘must-reads’:
- Superman (1987) #21
- Adventures of Superman #444
- Superman (1987) #22
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Superman#21 Superman realises he’s being followed by a woman wearing his costume! Supergirl shows she’s able to shapeshift and take Lana Lang’s form and it’s all thanks to Lex Luthor – the man who empowered her. The misunderstandings lead the two of them into battle! Superman leaves the fight and when he discovers Lana Lang, John & Martha Kent being held prisoner on Lana’s farm. Superman introduces Supergirl to his Lex Luthor before her Lex Luthor teleports Superman and Supergirl to her universe. At the Daily Planet, Perry White agrees to send Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane to Ireland to seek the origin of the Silver Banshee! 1st appearance: Lex Luthor (Pocket Universe), Supergirl (named) |
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Adventures of Superman #444 Superman mourns at the graves of Jonathan & Martha Kent of the same Pocket Universe that Superboy came from (see A TWIST IN TIME, 1987). A world created by the Time-Trapper that only has one superhero, which is now largely a wasteland. Ten years ago, Lex Luthor of the Pocket Universe sought out Superboy’s secret lab but was tricked into freeing the Kryptonian criminal General Zod and his cronies from the Phantom Zone. Hal Jordan, Ollie Queen, Bruce Wayne and others joined Luthor’s Resistance Force, though the war ravaged the whole world. With his advanced tech, Luthor located New Earth – a world which had a grown up Clark Kent, aka Superman! Zod has already destroyed all the Kryptonite and boiled away the seas and upper atmosphere. Now, the Man of Steel will help them defeat General Zod, Zaora and Quex-Ul! 1st appearance: Hal Jordan (Pocket Universe), Oliver Queen (Pocket Universe), Quex-Ul/‘Ston-Ar’ (Pocket Universe), Bruce Wayne (Pocket Universe) Zaora/‘Mara’ (Pocket Universe), General Zod/Dru-Zod/‘Von-El’ (Pocket Universe) |
| Superman #22 In the fight above the scorched Earth, the Resistance Force Jet fighters are destroyed, killing Hal Jordan, Ollie Queen and Bruce Wayne. Their secret HQ is then obliterated. Superman obtains Luthor’s last hidden stash of Gold Kryptonite and robs Quex-Ul of his powers before doing the same to Zod and Zaora. As mortally wounded Lex Luthor breathes his last, he tells Superman that Supergirl is protomatter created with Lana Lang’s DNA. Despite having cost them his powers, Zod and his crew swear to regain their powers and conquer Superman’s Earth. So Superman uses Green Kryptonite to kill all three. He takes what’s left of the protomatter Supergirl to Lana Lang’s farm on his world to give her another chance. Now, Superman needs time to think about what he’s done! |
See how this story fits into the wider DC Universe with these reading orders:
- SUPERMAN, 1987-1988 – The Man of Steel
| Must Reads | Issue(s) & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Superman #23 (1988) Jimmy & Lois investigate the Silver Banshee in Ireland. | |
| ✔ | Adventures of Superman #446 (1988) The crime-fighting Gangbuster returns, but it’s not Jose Delgado under the helmet. | |
| ✔ | Adventures of Superman #450 (1989) The new Gangbuster is revealed to be Superman, having experienced a breakdown. | INVASION! |
| ✔ | Action Comics #644 (1989) Having been relocated to the Kent Farm to recover, the healing Matrix, aka ‘Supergirl’, briefly assumes Superman’s form until she clashes with the real Superman’, Matrix came to her senses; her concerns over her own instability leads to her heading into space for solitude. | DOPPELGANGER |
| ✔ | Action Comics #674 (1992) Matrix returns to Earth as Supergirl! | PANIC IN THE SKY |
| Valor #22-23 (1994) In the future, the Earth of the Pocket Universe is pulled into the New Earth universe, though it’s instability threatens to cause it to explode. | END OF AN ERA ZERO HOUR: CRISIS IN TIME! | |
| ✔ | Action Comics #779 (2001) Superman encounters a version of Krypton created by Brainiac 13; the world is inhabited by versions of General Zod and Faora. | |
| ✔ | Action Comics #822-823 (2005) Gold Kryptonite – aka, Gold K – appears in New Earth continuity for the first time when the Repo Man is gifted the element by Gof, gaining metahuman abilities; Gold K causes Superman to systematically lose each of his powers. | |
| Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition (2005) The Pocket Universe will later be referred to as Earth-Twenty-Three. | ||
| ✔ | Action Comics #845 (2007) Action Comics Annual #11 (2008) Superman meets General Zod of New Earth, along with his cronies Ursa and Non; the limited effects of Lex Luthor’s own Gold Kryptonite aids Superman in defeating Zod. | LAST SON |
| Superman #669 (2007) Superman meets an ancestor of General Zod – Dru-Zod, aka Admiral Zod. | ||
| Adventure Comics #8-9 (2010) General Zod releases the New Earth incarnation of the criminal Quex-Ul from incarceration to act as his sleeper agent. | LAST STAND OF NEW KRYPTON | |
| Superman #28 (2025) Superman is transported to the Time Trapper’s Pocket Universe again. | ALL-IN LEGION OF DARKSEID |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Superman: The Man of Steel vol.4 HC (2022) | Action Comics #598-600 Adventures of Superman #439-444 Doom Patrol #10 Superman #16-22 Superman Annual #2 |
| Superman: The Man of Steel vol.9 tpb (2016) | Adventures of Superman #441-444 Doom Patrol #10 Superman #19-22 Superman Annual #2 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2025
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