Krypton Returns Reading Order

CROSSOVER SUMMARY PAGE: KRYPTON RETURNS

H'el Returns, And He Brought Krypton With Him

Start: October 2013
End: November 2013

At the end of Superman #24 (2013), Kal-El was mysteriously drawn into outer space by a powerful force; it was at the conclusion of the Psi-War event. What transpires now has unfolded into the Krypton Returns Crossover.

H'el, a Kryptonian of altered powers and history, appears again as the main villain since his assault in H'el On Earth. As well, he's bringing the entire super-family of Superman, Supergirl, and Superboy.

Plot: Appears to be a 4-part event. A temporal storm of cosmic proportions is assaulting the galaxy, but somewhere in that universe, the Oracle has summoned the Kryptonians to face H'el, a twisted counterpart bent on returning Krypton to its orbit. What happens next is the answer to the future of a once-doomed planet. Can Krypton continue to exist? Find out in Krypton Returns.

Status:
The Reading Order is Final

Reading Order
001 Action Comics Annual #2
002 Superboy #25
003 Supergirl #25
004 Superman #25


Action Comics Annual #2 - Part 1. Begins the crossover event. Superman, now drawn out into space by a strange force, witnesses a temporal storm obliterate a star system. He sees a portal and travels through it, finding Supergirl and Superboy also there, confounded. They turn and see The Oracle, an immense being that sees past, present, and future; it points them to...Krypton. The once-destroyed planet now appears in the distance, but suddenly they are attacked by its defenses. Immediately they are teleported to Aragon, Krypton's Moon; The Oracle then shares its story. He'l survived their last encounter and went into the past. Jor-El, Superman's father, found him; that is when H'el learned he was a genetic mistake. Throughout history, H'el then changed events that could possibly save the doomed planet, but he has failed at every turn. The story is then interrupted and a legendary figure, none other than Faora, appears, now seeking their aid to stop H'el. She tells them that the travels of H'el has caused Krypton to become a Time-Tsunami bomb; it will destroy the omniverse. She also shows them that the Kryptonians are now enslaved. Now given a mission, the three are tasked to travel back in time through portals provided by The Oracle. Supergirl must perform a task during The Great Clone War, Superboy must travel back to the time of Supergirl's departure, and Superman must stop H'el at the moment of his success. As they leave, H'el arrives, killing Faora. He then uses his powers to find where they have gone, vowing to utterly destroy them.
Superboy #25 - Part 2. As Kon-El attempts to rescue young Kara, he's attacked by a creature of entropy and chaos called The Eradicator. At another time, Kara as Supergirl has her own problems, facing down the clones and their Leader whom she battles. Superman is now struggling to keep his true identity secret while facing his mother in their lab. His suit changes, but he's not sure why. Once she recognizes the House of El chestpiece, she scans him, reading radiation poisoning from the yellow sun. Back in early Krypton times, Kon-El now realizes he can use his powers without worrying about the Red Sun, and does so. He defeats The Eradicator. Supergirl, in her timeline, finally takes victory over the clones, but then H'el shows up carrying a shard of Kryptonite!
Supergirl #25 - Part 3. He'l monologues over Kara, preparing to kill her until she strikes him in the face, grabbing a weapon. In Superman's timeline, he watches from afar as his announces she's pregnant to her father. Suddenly someone arrives...and we switch to the scenes at Kon-El's timeline. He prepares to leave now that Kara is safe when he is suddenly struck from behind:  The Eradicator is back to fighting strength. Superboy decides to unleash, but realizes that killing the creature seems nigh-impossible. With one hearty blow, he beats the creature through the time portal. He prepares to leave a second time and now H'el shows up. The battle takes a divergence as H'el fights in Superboy and Supergirl's time simultaneously. He's strong, but the division weakens him. As their battling continues, each Kryptonian gains a stronger footing against H'el.
Superman #25 - Part 4. The three different timestreams each hold a hero, and in Superman's he's facing his father! After some discussion, he realizes Jor-El has learned what H'el is and has a plan to defeat him. Kon-El is still facing H'el, but sees wounds from other temporal battles. Before he can defeat him in his timeline, H'el appears to disentegrate. Kara has the same fortune, beating H'el in the Kryptonian past. But Superman's timeline is most important; heading to Krypton's core with his father, they start a process that causes H'el to appear. Jor-El wants to kill him, but Superman freezes the being and converges the frozen body with a temporal loop. He believes this may just save Krypton from exploding and keep H'el from being killed. In the meantim, Superboy decides to help young Kara survive her timeline. Using his powers, he makes her forget his existence. He then lifts the entire city of Argo, throwing it safely into the sky where it will avoid the explosion. Now powerless, Kon-El drifts. Supergirl and Superman join back in the present and realizes Superboy sacrificed himself. They question the Oracle; it appears Krypton didn't survive and neither did Superboy, but they get no answers and head back to Earth.