I must disagree with you, Kara! "Adorable" is an adjective connoting qualities ranging from cuteness to precociousness! I hardly think such terms apply to a bio-spawn devoid of emotion! 
- — Rovos
Action Comics #502 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1979.
Synopsis for "Fall and Rise of the Star-Child!"
An alien race, the Dyrlians, selects Superman and Supergirl to be the surrogate parents of Rovos, a synthetically-born child who will grow to maturity in a day. The child develops mentally and physically under their care, but seems to have no emotions. To remedy this, Superman feigns a battle with the Galactic Golem and the Parasite, which Supergirl and Rovos watch on a viewscreen. Rovos experiences love, hate, joy, pride, fear, grief and courage during the battle and when he sees the "Parasite" unmasked as Superman. Rovos even laughs at the absurdity of it all. Superman tells him that the Dyrlians, who abandoned their organic bodies long ago to put their minds in android bodies, had gradually lost their emotions and needed Rovos to experience them and, unwittingly, transmit them back to his creators. Supergirl admits that they are going to miss him, and Rovos, shedding tears, says that he will miss them as well.
Appearing in "Fall and Rise of the Star-Child!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Supergirl
- Kent Family
- Jonathan Kent (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- Martha Kent (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
Antagonists:
- Galactic Golem (On a TV or computer screen) (As an illusion only)
Other Characters:
- Citizens of Metropolis (Unnamed)
- Rob Geller (a professional photographer looking to get an unsuspecting photo of Clark Kent) (Single appearance)
- Jackie (Mentioned only)
- Sophia (Mentioned only)
- Mick (Mentioned only)
- Dyrlians (Mentioned only) (Origin)
- Rovos (Single appearance) (Origin)
- Albert Einstein (Mentioned only)
- Kryptonian Gods (Mentioned only)
- Rao (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Space (Mentioned only)
- Dyrlia (Mentioned only)
- Earth
- Metropolis
- Galaxy Communications Building (Cameo)
- Southwestern United States (Unnamed) (unknown location) (On a TV or computer screen)
- Remote Radio-Telescope Installation (Unnamed) (On a TV or computer screen)
- Deserted Region (Unnamed) (unknown location)
- North Pole
- Metropolis
Items:
- Rob Geller's Camera (Destroyed)
- Two Dyrlian Mind Probes
- Super-Computer
- Code-Red Catastrophe Alarm
- Superman's Satellite Monitors (Mentioned only)
Vehicles:
- Dyrlian Spacecraft (In ruins)
Concept:
- Kryptonese (Mentioned only)
Notes
- Letter to the editor from Tamsyn O'Flynn.
See Also