Superman #222 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1970. It was published on October 7, 1969.
Synopsis for "Superman's Lost Brother"
This story is reprinted from Superman #80.
Halk Kar came from the planet Thoron, which is in the same solar system as Krypton. He visited the world of Krypton some years before its destruction and met Kryptonian scientist Jor-L. Years later, Halk Kar eventually came to Earth, but when he arrived, he had no memory of who he truly was. Superman discovered him carrying a note written by Jor-L and theorized that Halk Kar may have been his brother.
Superman quickly realizes that Halk Kar is less powerful than he is and — instead of subjecting him to embarrassment over the fact that he may be weaker than his younger brother — opts to use his own powers to cover for Halk Kar's deficiencies. Unfortunately, this plan backfires on Superman, as Halk Kar begins to assume a superior attitude to Superman and even begins to make romantic advances on Superman's girlfriend, Lois Lane.
Halk Kar and Superman joined forces to stop a criminal named "Wrecker" Ross, but during the incident, Halk Kar suffered an electric shock which restored his memory. He told Superman the truth about his origins and how he had once met his father Jor-L. Years ago, while on a pioneer voyage into space, he landed on Krypton with his damaged rocketship. There he met Jor-L, who explained that Krypton's destruction was imminent and repaired Halk Kar's rocketship, sending him away with the note which had a map from Krypton to Earth on it. Krypton exploded shortly afterward, causing Halk Kar to be put into suspended animation until he drifted to Earth to meet Superman, the grown-up son of Jor-L referred to in the note.
After explaining his story, Halk Kar bids farewell to Superman and returns to the planet Thoron in his repaired rocketship, leaving Superman with the experience of briefly having had a brother.
Appearing in "Superman's Lost Brother"
Featured Characters:
- Superman (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- "Wrecker" Ross (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Bronson (Single appearance)
- Kryptonians (Dies in flashback)
- Wilson (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Krypton (Flashback only)
- Kryptonopolis (Flashback only)
- Metropolis
- Bronson Steel Works
- City Hall (Mentioned only)
- Daily Planet (Mentioned only)
- Thoron (Mentioned only)
Vehicles:
- Kryptonian Rocket (Flashback only)
Synopsis for "The Sweetheart Superman Forgot"
This story is reprinted from Superman #165.
An exposure to Red Kryptonite robs Clark Kent of his memory and super-powers. He finds himself on the ranch of Digby Selwyn and, calling himself "Jim White", falls in love with Selwyn's lovely daughter Sally. Over the course of a week, Clark becomes a ranch hand and he and Sally fall in love. But a rival named Bart arranges for Clark to be crippled in a riding accident and then knocks him into a river. Clark is saved by Aquaman and taken to Atlantis, where he finally regains his memory and powers. But he has no memory of Sally, who believes that "Jim White" committed suicide.
Appearing in "The Sweetheart Superman Forgot"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Lori Lemaris
- Aquaman (Behind the scenes)
Antagonists:
- Bart Benson
Other Characters:
- Sally Selwyn (First appearance)
- Digby Selwyn
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "Jor-El II and Kal-El II"
This story is reprinted from Superman #166.
On a parallel Earth-166, Superman is married to an unnamed woman, and has non-identical twins that he names Jor-El II and Kal-El II. Only Jor-El II develops super-powers, as Kal-El II takes after his mother, and Jor teases him repeatedly about it, until Superman points out that teasing and bullying are wrong. But it's too late. Kal wants very little to do with Jor and has developed an inferiority complex.
Superman discovers a distant planet where the rare twin-suns rays give Kal-El II powers while he's there, but he soon becomes homesick and asks to return to Earth. And while young Jor-El II accompanies Superman on missions, a Robot must protect Kal and his mother from racketeers.
To put the twins on equal footing, they are sent to Kandor University. Despite their lack of powers, Jor-El the second continues to excel physically, while Kal-El the second sticks to books in the Kandor museum - especially stories of the Phantom Zone.
But when the Mystery Raider breaks into the museum to steal the rare element Volium, the El twins find the Nightcave and - like Superman and Jimmy Olsen - put on the costumes of Nightwing and Flamebird.
As Jor-El II prefers action to thought, and Kal-El II's historical contributions are ignored, the Mystery Raider steals enough components to build his De-Evolutionary Ray, which creates atavistic monsters. The Raider escapes pursuit, and leaves Kandor to wreak havoc on Earth.
Jor-El II leaves with Superman to hunt the Raider - while Kal Junior takes the Legion's Time Bubble back to pre-cataclysm Krypton and is apprenticed to his grandfather, Jor-El the first. He calls himself Kalel Kent. They travel to see the work of Gann Artar who has built a De-Evolutionary Ray. The Kryptonian Science Council forbids such research, and Gann swears revenge.
Jor-El has noticed a remarkable family resemblance in Kal-El II — even though his own son Kal-El isn't born yet — and takes him to the El Family Vault to compare Kal Junior to his ancestors.
Gann follows Jor-El and creates monsters on Krypton that Jor-El I restores with an antidote. Defeated, Gann Artar is sentenced to 50 cycles in the Phantom Zone. Kal-El II and Jor exchange the antidote for the plans for the Time Bubble, and Kal returns to the present, where he is amazed to see that Gann Artar is not in the Phantom Zone - he is the Mystery Raider!
At Gann Artar's fortress, he has fooled Superman and Jor-El the second with Green Kryptonite, and they lay dying. But the human Kal-El II is unaffected by Kryptonite, and sends Gann back into the Phantom Zone. Using Jor-El senior's formula, they restore the animals of Earth.
Appearing in "Jor-El II and Kal-El II"
Featured Characters:
- Superman
Supporting Characters:
- Flamebird (Kal-El II/Kalel Kent)
- Nightwing (Jor-El II)
Antagonists:
- Brainiac (Mentioned only)
- Gann Artar/ Mystery Raider
- Phantom Zoners
- Jax-Ur
- Kru-El
- Racketeers
Other Characters:
- Abbas (Statue only)
- Doctors
- Geneticist
- El Family Vault
- Hatu-El (Statue only)
- Sul-El (Statue only)
- Tala-El (Statue only)
- Val-El (Statue only)
- Jor-El I
- Lara
- Mrs. Kent (Unnamed)
- Kryptonian Science Council
- Legion of Super-Heroes
- Murn
- Zan Zarn (Statue only)
Locations:
- Earth-166
- Earth
- Fortress of Solitude
- Bottle City of Kandor
- Nightcave
- Bottle City of Kandor
- India
- London
- Metropolis
- Metropolis General Hospital
- Metropolis Lake
- Fortress of Solitude
- Krypton
- Phantom Zone
- Twin-Sun System
- Unnamed planet
- Earth
Items:
- Anti-Gravity Shoes
- De-Evolutionary Ray
- Freezing Firce
- Green Kryptonite
- Jet-Belt
- Jor-El I (Statue only)
- Phantom Zone Projector
- Repeller-Halo
- Robot Guard
- Spacesuit
- Volium (Rare Element)
Vehicles:
- Boat
- Nightmobile
- Sky Polo Rocket Mounts
- Time Bubble
Synopsis for "The Secret of Superboy's Sister"
This story is reprinted from Superboy #36.
When her parents are reported dead while on a trip to Africa, Lana Lang is allowed to move in with the Kents, which puts a crimp in Superboy's operations.
Appearing in "The Secret of Superboy's Sister"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Big Joe (Single appearance)
- Chump (Single appearance)
- Luke (Single appearance)
Locations:
Notes
- This is an all-reprint issue.
See Also