Supernova (DC Comics)
| Supernova | |
|---|---|
| File:SuperNova5215.jpg Supernova from 52 # 15. Art by Shawn Moll. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | 52: Week/Issue Eight |
| Created by | Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Unknown |
| Abilities | flight, light emission, energy projection, teleportation |
Supernova is a fictional superhero in the DC Universe who first appeared in the limited series 52, in June, 2006.
Character history
Metropolis's new hero
Eight weeks into the series 52, sightings of a mysterious hero are reported by several eyewitnesses, with his exploits revealed in flashbacks. He saves an elderly woman and others from a falling monorail by seemingly teleporting them to safety, rescues a group of firemen in a burning building by vanishing the falling rafters, sheers a gunman's rifle in half to save police officers, and saves a young girl from a rip current.
The newspaper "The Daily Star" has the first exclusive of the new superhero, dubbing him "Supernova". That same day, Supernova saves Clark Kent as Kent jumps out of a window at the Daily Planet's, in order to get an interview. Supernova cuts the interview short to take on Bahdnesian terrorists in a stolen US Army all-terrain vehicle, and moves a chunk of pavement instantly, leading the criminals to drive the vehicle into the resultant hole and surrender. Supernova then secures the crime scene and protects a young boy from falling into the hole. All the while, Kent watched amongst a crowd of witnesses, taking pictures and getting brief statements from Supernova.
Several weeks later, a gigantic crustacean (a Ballostro) arrives in Metropolis to feed. Supernova begins to repulse the monster, ensure the safety of a nuclear powered submarine brought in the city by the monster itself and reassure the local population when Booster Gold arrives. Booster and Supernova immediately clash, with Supernova urging Booster to step back, and going so far as to call Booster a fraud. Booster knocks out Supernova, who wakes up too late to save Booster from his kamikaze attempt to save the city from the radiation leakage of the submarine. Supernova catches the dead body of Booster as it falls from the sky and is left mourning the death of his "rival".
In story references
- The Daily Planet, during "One Year Later", mentions "another Supernova" sighting.
- While investigating Rip Hunter's lab, Booster Gold stumbles upon Hunter's mysterious notes and research. "Who is Supernova?" is mentioned along with the many chronal problems Hunter blames on Booster.
- An interview with 52's editor Steve Wacker confirms that Supernova's logo is the same as that of Metropolis's fictional TV station Galaxy Broadcasting System.
Pre-debut publicity
The character was first mentioned in Wizard and Newsarama, although the first mention in-story was in Superman #650.
Supernova's costume is similar in design — albeit with a different color scheme — to the costume of Nova, an "imaginary story" version of Superman who lost his Kryptonian powers and became a Batman-like crimefighter in a two-part story in World's Finest Comics #178 (September 1968) and #180 (November 1968).
Powers and abilities
The exact nature of Supernova's powers was unclear as of his debut, but he has been shown to fly and emit powerfully bright flashes of light when performing superheroic acts. He can remove matter with energy beams coming from his eyes. It was not apparent if the matter is disintegrated or removed by other means. At one point, when asked what happened to an object he removed, he remarked "I sent it away." He also appears to teleport in bright flashes of light.