Action Comics Annual #12

(August 2009)

[The Origin of Nightwing and Flamebird!] (Table of Contents)

Nightwing and Flamebird / comic story / 40 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Greg Rucka

Pencils:

Pere Pérez

Inks:

Pere Pérez

Colors:

Mazi

Letters:

Rob Leigh

Content Information

Genre:

Superhero

Characters:

Black Zero [Ursa; Ak-Var (intro, death); Tes Ak-Var (intro, death)] (intro); Thara Ak-Var [Flamebird]; Brainiac Probes; Zor-El; Alura; Chris Kent [Nightwing]; Superman; Non; General Zod; Lois Lane (on monitor); Dev-Em; Kandor; Argo City; Phantom Zone; Fort Rozz (misspelled as Roz)

Synopsis:

In the past on Krypton, Ursa leads the Black Zero unit as Kandor is being taken by Brainiac. Ak-Var and his wife Tes are a part of the unit, and concerned because their daughter Thara is there. They locate her as one of the people that Brainiac is rounding up into the middle of the city, but the unit is taken down. A wounded Ursa and Thara watch from opposite sides as a bottle is formed around the middle of the city, killing Thara's parents. Kandor is now in Brainiac's ship, but ignored until Argo City is later discovered in space, and its people, including Zor-El and Alura, are added to Kandor. As they knew Thara and they miss their daughter, they form a family. Years later, after Chris Kent has sacrificed himself into the Phantom Zone at the end of the Phantom Zone invasion of Earth, he undergoes an abnormal growth spurt. He returns to Fort Rozz, and hides there with the help of Non. Back in Kandor, Thara has joined the military guild, but then gets invited to join the religious guild, and becomes a monk. In Fort Rozz, Chris sneaks into Zod's lab, and sees Superman and Lois on a monitor, and tries to contact them using some Brainiac technology. Instead, it forms a painful connection between Chris and Thara. Chris is revealed by his pain. Thara can no longer be a monk, she returns to Zor-El and Alura, and has an obsession to go to the Phantom Zone and get Chris. She finally armors up and goes there, but is almost thwarted by Non. But he takes pity on them, and, having stolen the projector, projects them back to Kandor, and destroys the projector.

Indexer Notes

The story is untitled; title here taken from the cover. This story is told in narrative form.

Red Cirle Has Arrived (Table of Contents)

Daily Planet / promo (ad from the publisher) / 5 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Jesus Saiz

Inks:

Jesus Saiz

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Characters:

Hangman; Inferno; The Shield; The Web

Indexer Notes

Introduces the Red Circle characters, promoting the first issues of Hangman, Inferno, The Web, and The Shield.

This is some way to kick off the summer, isn't it? [June 17, 2009] (Table of Contents)

DC Nation / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

Ian Sattler

Pencils:

Phil Noto

Inks:

Phil Noto

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Characters:

Batgirl

Indexer Notes

Ian summarizes the changes in the Batman books, and talks about the new Batgirl series. Appears on page 45 in this issue.

[House Advertisement] (Table of Contents)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Indexer Notes

House ad for: Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader hardcover. Appears on page 14 in this issue.

[Ads] (Table of Contents)

advertisement / 4 pages (report information)

Indexer Notes

Total of 4 one-page ads for: What Book Fits Your Personality Best? (books, Little, Brown), The Outsiders (TV, Cartoon Network), The Mysterious Benedict Society (with word challenge) (books, Little, Brown), and Chaotic the Battle for Perim Continues... (online game, TC Digital Games). Appear in various places in this issue.

Cartoon Network This Summer (Table of Contents)

insert or dust jacket / 8 pages (report information)

Indexer Notes

A 5 inch by 7 inch booklet (separately stapled and not stapled into the main book) that previews the summer TV shows on Cartoon Network.