Synopsis
On the world of Kandor, the ruling elite is governed by the Kryptonians and their lord Kal-El. The underclass is populated by alien cultures from varying worlds who live under the brutal thumb of Kal-El's dictatorship. The underclass of Kandor are not without a voice however. Two masked super-heroes known as Flamebird and Nightwing safeguard the denizens of Kandor from Kal-El's praisesingers.
Flamebird is actually Kara Zor-El, aka, Supergirl and her partner Nightwing is actually her parallel world counterpart Power Girl. Flamebird visits the tattoo parlor of an artist named Chezzt and has a Kryptonian holy symbol tattooed upon her back. As she leaves the parlor, a group of aliens accost her, ready to prove their might by taking out one of the "saved" Kryptonians. Flamebird is more than able to handle these thugs, but Nightwing flies in and prevents her from killing them.
Flamebird and Nightwing briefly begin fighting one another, but as tempers cool, they head back to their headquarters. They talk to one another about the political strife on Kandor and how Kal-El's forces have basically enslaved anyone who was not a true Kryptonian. In their masked identities, Flamebird and Nightwing are able to serve as heroes to the resistance, without revealing their own Kryptonian origins.
Kal-El scours the city looking for the two vigilantes. He incites his followers to his side, declaring that only true Kryptonians are worthy of Heaven, while those without the benefit of Kryptonian blood shall suffer damnation. One of Kal-El's Cherishers informs him that he has seen Flamebird, and has identified the Kryptonian holy symbol upon her back. Kal-El now realizes that Flamebird and Nightwing are Kryptonian. To keep this secret from reaching the public, Kal-El kills all of the Cherishers who paid witness to the event. Kal-El makes a declaration that he will seek out and destroy the heretics at all costs.
Kal-El sends out his praisesingers to find Flamebird and Nightwing. They begin tearing through the alien populace while Kal-El watches on. They find the alien artist Chezzt and Kal-El determines that he is the one responsible for marking Flamebird with a Kryptonian holy symbol. He begins torturing Chezzt by ripping his arms off.
Kara meanwhile, is having issues with her memory. She recalls that it is her destiny to assassinate Kal-El with a shard of Sunstone crystal. While Flamebird continues to deal with these conflicting emotions, Nightwing seeks out Mamoth, leader of the resistance.
Kal-El publicly announces that he will kill one-hundred aliens every ten minutes unless Flamebird and Nightwing surrender themselves by Eve'sbreak. Flamebird and Nightwing fly to the scene, but they are not here to surrender. They are here to fight Kal-El. Kara however, falls prey to her mental programming and embraces Kal-El. Nightwing on the other hand is incapacitated by the true architect behind this reality -- Saturn Queen.
Saturn Queen has captured Power Girl (Nightwing) while the brainwashed Supergirl (Flamebird) has pledged herself to Kryptonian leader Kal-El and has agreed to become his bride. Saturn Queen has her Cherishers interrogate Power Girl, but with little success. Through the course of the process, Power Girl begins to discover that the "reality" they have been living in is a lie.
Meanwhile, Kal-El prepares for his wedding to Supergirl. Supergirl's mind is fragmented by two pieces of conflicting programming. Her conscious mind battles between the Saturn Queen's brainwashing and her legacy to destroy Kal-El.
Supergirl learns that this Kal-El is actually the analog of Superman from the Antimatter Universe known as Ultraman. Following Alexander Luthor's attempts to create a new reality by restructuring the Multiverse, the Saturn Queen and Ultraman were displaced from their native timelines/realities and temporarily shunted into the Phantom Zone. Since escaping, Saturn Queen has used her mental powers to create her own personal version of Kandor with Ultraman serving as her "son" and using the name Kal-El.
Supergirl breaks free of the brainwashing just as Power Girl breaks out of Saturn Queen's dungeon. They team-up to take on Ultraman, and with the combined might of their powers, succeed in defeating him. Supergirl is prepared to kill him, but Saturn Queen pleads with her to spare his life. She telepathically provides Supergirl with information relating to her home town of Argo City. Supergirl agrees to spare Ultraman's life and suddenly flies off. Confused, Power Girl trails after her.
Issues
Notes
"Supergirl: Candor" was a three-part story chronicled in issues #6-8 of Supergirl (Volume 5). The events from this storyline take place during the "missing year" following the events of Infinite Crisis.
Recommended Reading
- Supergirl Recommended Reading
- Action Comics (Volume 1)
- Adventure Comics (Volume 1)
- All-Star Comics (Volume 1)
- Supergirl (Volume 1)
- Superman Family (Volume 1)
- Supergirl (Volume 2)
- Infinity Inc. (Volume 1)
- Power Girl (Volume 1)
- Supergirl (Volume 3)
- Supergirl (Volume 4)
- Supergirl (Volume 5)
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes (Volume 1)
- Power Girl (Volume 2)
- Supergirl (Volume 6)
- Worlds' Finest (Volume 1)
- Supergirl (Volume 7)
- Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (Volume 1)
Links and References
Template:Supergirl 5 Links
  This event or storyline is specifically related to Superman, or to members of the Superman Family. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Superman Storylines category. |