Monday, March 27, 2017

Action Comics #976 - Rebirthed Continuity Explained!


The SUPERMAN REBORN finale is here! DC promoted this as an epic tale and it all wraps up here! Superman’s life is drastically changed...and that’s all I am saying for now—but if you want to know more like what it all means? Continue reading below!

Superman Reborn was a 4 part Superman Crossover that ran through Superman #18-#19 and Action Comics #975-#976 with world shattering ramifications. Since the death of the New 52 Superman and the appearance of a new Superman (Pre-Flashpoint) a mysterious human (by all tests and scans) Clark Kent arrived. Having found out that Lois was married to someone that looked just like him and had a child the mysterious Clark Kent is revealed to be none other than Myxzlplix.



We find out the old Myxzlplix was due to visit Superman again (presumably when the New 52 began) and was immediately take “off the board” by Mr. Oz. Myxzlplix spent the entire time in Mr. Oz’s prison until he escaped shortly after New 52 Superman died. While locked up Myxzlplix became obsessed with the notion that Superman would come looking for him, because they were friends. As the days went by he realized that Superman wasn’t coming and he began to resent him for it. Upon his escape he had to make sure he wasn’t caught and imprisoned again he became a completely human Clark Kent and made it so that no one even him would be able to find it out.




Once Myxzlplix saw Lois with Clark and Jon he broke free and decided to play with his “friend” again. He took Jon and wiped the memory out of Lois’ mind with it slowly fading from Superman’s as well. Myxzlplix set up a game for Lois & Superman to find Jon and if they did in time they would have him back. While his parents raced for him Jon began seeing these two red orbs of light, reaching for them, John broke free and his parents forgot him reverting to their New 52 counterparts. Myxzlplix tried to get Jon to go with him to hide in the 5th dimension when 2 orbs of blue energy appeared to him and merged with the New 52 Superman and Lois awakening who they really are.



Mr. Oz watch all of this as it unfold and says how he never thought they could do this and neither did a mysterious “he” a “new existence-wide, single reality, built from two.” and we are given the image below, which lead to me receiving PMs and DMs asking me what I thought this all meant, and seen a lot of other reviewers trying to explain it and coming up short of even some of the most basics. So I decided to break it down below.



  1. This is from Superman: Secret Origin. Jor-El and Lara are placing baby Kal-EL in his ship before they send him off to Earth.
  2. Another indication that Superman: Secret Origin is back in continuity with the ship blasting away from Krypton as it explodes.
  3. Ma & Pa Kent finding baby Kal-El after the ship landed and again from Superman: Secret Origin.
  4. Clark & Lana in Smallville High School with Lex Luthor. Now this isn’t really from Superman: Secret Origin as Lex was a little older than them and not a classmate as this image indicates here.
  5. Clark Kent arriving at the Daily Planet for his first day of work.
  6. Clark revealing he is Superman to Lois.
  7. The Death of Superman from Superman #75.
  8. The wedding of Lois & Clark from Superman: The Wedding Album.
  9. A new scene where Lois and Clark share with Perry White that they are pregnant.
  10. Superman delivering Jon in the Fortress of Solitude, which is a new memory that replaces Jon’s birth in the Batcave during Convergence.
  11. Another new memory, Perry & Jimmy meeting Jonathan Samuel Kent for the first time as a newborn.
  12. Jon finding out that his dad is Superman, Clark has always been the Superman, Jon just never knew it until now.




The final piece of this puzzle is the center. This is just the villains. There isn’t much to say about them as it really just shows the classic looks of Superman’s villains. I would note that Cyborg Superman, and Eradicator Superman are both back there and to their classic appearance. But I think the biggest note to take is that Darkseid is there and back to his classic look as well.


Also we see Mr. Oz looking at a red planet, this planet is Mars which further hints at the mysterious person behind the New 52/missing years is Dr. Manhattan as this was where we last saw him.




What does all of this mean? Well for right now we don’t know if Lois, Clark and Jon retain any of their memories or if they were as this image indicates were merged with the New 52 reality to form a single new set of memories like the rest of those connected to them.  We also don’t know if this means that Ma Kent is alive and well again, or if the New 52 death still holds true for her. How far do these new ripple go? Does it affect the lives of Supergirl? We will really have to wait and see to find out what is to come with all of this. The first part of the new puzzle will come in Superman #20 on sale April 5, 2017! But we can gleam two important things from this: 1.) The effects of the New 52 can be undone and 2.) the end result will most likely unite pre-Flashpoint and New 52 realities taking the best from each, and leaning more towards the pre-Flashpoint continuity.

If you want to know more about this please tune into Frontline LIVE 145 this Tuesday night at 9:30 PM ET on Comic Frontline!

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