Action Comics 2023 Annual #1 is an issue of the series Action Comics 2023 Annual (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 2024. It was published on December 26, 2023.
Synopsis for "New Worlds, Part Five: The Conclusion"
On Earth al Ghul, a family of four is threatened by soldiers of the Empire of Shadows. Their commander is aware that the parents had hidden their firstborn son from the Empire after they wanted him to become a soldier. Had the boy worked for the Empire, he could have received the gift of Lazarus and lived on long after the rest of his family had perished, but the parents didn't want to give their son up. As soon as the family is about to get killed, Superman and his allies, Bloodwynd and Etrigan, swoop in and defeat the soldiers.
Grateful, the parents tell Superman where they can find the rulers of these lands. The al Ghuls have barricaded themselves in their citadel, deep within the district of White's Tomb. The children, a boy and a girl, remind Superman of Osul and Otho, which is why Superman inspires them to be brave and to fight for what they believe.
In the citadel of the al Ghuls, Janan's servants have cast a spell on Otho and put her in an illusion that allows Otho to live out her personal fantasies. She has become a fearsome warrior and accumulated a long chain, with each of its links representing her victories in the arena of Warworld. However, the al Ghul sorcerers take notice of the fact that Otho is resisting the spell, for Otho herself has been irrevocably changed by her experiences with Superman. She doesn't want power or glory. She just wants a peaceful life with the family and friends she has made on Earth. Janan insists on continuing the procedure that will allow Janan to take over the powerful young alien's body because she has run out of options. She is the last remaining al Ghul, with no brothers or children left to continue the bloodline and is rapidly aging due to her misuse of dark magic.
The assault on the al Ghul citadel begins. While Superman and Bloodwynd attempt to delay the army, Etrigan infiltrates the fortress and kills Janan's sorcerers, only to be stabbed in the back by a brainwashed Otho. Superman makes his way to the citadel and Jana creates the illusion that he is Mongul. Otho-Ra attacks Superman but he attempts to bring Otho back to her senses. She is not a Warzoon or a prisoner of Warworld. He tells her the story of the Starchild of the House of Ra. When she and the Red Son fought together to save their people, she sacrificed her life to save her brother, just like Otho has been trying to protect her brother. That purpose can now be hers. Otho breaks free of Janan's control and returns to her father's side. Frustrated that her plan to control Otho has been foiled, Janan hastily begins her invasion of Earth-0. She proclaims herself to be the Sister Shadow, liberator of this new world.
In Metropolis, the Blue Earth movement has started yet another attack on alien immigrants and the Superman Family has been fighting hard to keep them under control. Suddenly, the al Ghul army begins their attack on Metropolis and the Blue Earthers realize they had been deceived: all this time, they were not fighting to protect their home. Instead, they were handing it over to a tyrant from another world, the same kind of evil they were claiming to fight against. Supergirl gives the Blue Earthers a choice: stand with the Superman Family and protect their home or step aside and let evil win. The Blue Earthers choose the former and the battle for Metropolis begins.
The Superman Family and the Blue Earthers attempt to keep casualties to a minimum. Osul, inspired by the legend of the Red Son, makes his way to Janan's ship and attempts to save his sister. Janan proves to be stronger than him, but before she can kill him, Superman and his allies return home and join the fight. Together, Superman and his allies defeat the Empire of Shadows, while Etrigan drags Janan's soul down into Hell, but not before she promises to return and torment Superman once again.
One week later, Metropolis attempts to recover, not just from the battle but also from the lies told by Janan. A construction worker, formerly a small-time criminal, works hard to repair the damages until he is visited by his son. The boy asks his father if he resents Superman for putting him away, and the father admits that, initially, he did, but not anymore. He understands that, by locking him up and then giving him a chance to start a new life, Superman actually saved him. He also understands the truth about Metropolis. This is a city of ideas, of people that care about each other and of heroes.
Metropolis is the greatest city in the world thanks to Superman.
Appearing in "New Worlds, Part Five: The Conclusion"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Bloodwynd (Raphael Arce) (Resurrected)
- Etrigan
- Jason Blood (Behind the scenes)
- Jimmy Olsen (Cameo)
- Superman Family
- House of El
- Lois Lane (Cameo)
- Superboy (Conner Kent)
- Supergirl
- Super-Twins
- Red Son (Osul-Ra) (First appearance as Red Son)
- Starchild (Otho-Ra) (Also in a dream sequence) (First appearance as Starchild)
- John Henry Irons II (Cameo)
- Natasha Irons (Cameo)
- Super-Man (Kong Kenan)
- House of El
Antagonists:
- Blue Earth Movement
- Sister Shadow/Janan al Ghul/"Norah Stone" (Earth al Ghul) (Dies)
- Empire of Shadows soldiers (Earth al Ghul)
- Man-Bat-like creatures (Earth al Ghul) (Unnamed)
- The Servants of the Empire of Shadows (Unnamed) (All die)
- Empire of Shadows soldiers (Earth al Ghul)
Other Characters:
- Glen
- Stephen (First appearance)
- Kryptonians (In dream sequence only)
- Aivor (In dream sequence only) (Cameo)
- House of Ra
- Eldani (In dream sequence only) (Cameo)
- Warzoons (In dream sequence only)
- Mongul MDCCXCII (Deceased) (In dream sequence only)
- The Unmade (In dream sequence only)
- Demons (Mentioned only)
- Etrigan (Unknown Earth) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- The First of the Fallen/"The Devil" (Mentioned only)
- Gods (Mentioned only)
- Rao (Mentioned only)
- Saif al Ghul (Earth al Ghul) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Saif al Ghul's children (Unnamed) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Taj al Ghul (Earth al Ghul) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Taj al Ghul's children (Unnamed) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Dark Multiverse
- Earth al Ghul
- Gotham City
- White Tomb
- Al Ghul's Citadel
- White Tomb
- Gotham City
- Earth al Ghul
- Multiverse
- Earth 0
- Earth
- Metropolis
- A-Town
- Daily Planet (Cameo)
- Steelworks Institute (Cameo)
- Metropolis
- Krypton (In dream sequence only)
- Warworld (In dream sequence only)
- Earth
- Sphere of the Gods
- Hell (Mentioned only)
- Earth 0
Items:
- Blood Gem
- Jimmy Olsen's Camera
- Lazarus Chamber (First appearance)
- Lazarus Resin
- Superman Symbol
Vehicles:
- Empire of Shadows airships
- Empire of Shadows planes
Concepts:
Notes
- The story continues from Action Comics #1060.
Trivia
- Osul and Otho-Ra each exhibit powers not shown by other Phaelosians. It is unclear if these are unique to them or are common to their species and they are the first to manifest them as they have absorbed more yellow sunlight than Thao-La and Kryl-Ux.
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Action Comics 2023 Annual series
- Images from Action Comics 2023 Annual Vol 1 1