Nightwing and Flamebird

Van-Zee and Sylvia, his "Super-Wife"

Created by Otto Binder and Kurt Schaffenberger

Van-Zee was first described as a "distant kinsman" of Superman's, from the bottled city of Kandor. One day, he was conducting an experiment with a "hyper zeta ray" at the same time that Superman used his x-ray vision on Kandor. This produced an unexpected result: Van-Zee was enlarged (only the second Kandorian to achieve this) inside Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Because of the accidental nature of Van-Zee's enlargement, Superman could not duplicate the process to restore the rest of the Kandorians. Note: Krypton Chronicles #2 (Oct. 1981) states that Van-Zee's mother was Jor-El's aunt, the sister of Superman's grandfather.

Van-Zee was also a dead ringer for Superman, and he revealed to him that he was infatuated with Lois Lane. Superman gave Van-Zee permission to court Lois, but she only had feelings for the real Man of Steel. She suggested to Van-Zee that surely there must be a Lois-lookalike somewhere in the world. Van was inspired to search for her, and the path quickly led to Sylvia DeWitt.

Sylvia was a Midwestern heiress — and also the spitting image of Lois. Sylvia's father had arranged for her to marry a stuffy older man, Sir Essex, but she couldn't bear the thought of it. She fled on a passenger ship to Metropolis and was discovered en route by the lovelorn Van-Zee.

After a quick courtship, Sylvia legitimately fell for the Kryptonian. Van-Zee swept her away to space, where he honored her with orbiting tributes. Their plan was to settle in Kandor, but the Fortress of Solitude became infected by an alien bacteria, so they had to wait to return. They settled on Venus instead, and soon Sylvia became pregnant. The couple bore twin children, Lili and Lyle, on a planet called "Urth."

Sylvia was overwhelmed by raising super-powered children, so Van-Zee found a way to create a novel super-serum from element Korium-66-Beta. She became a "Superwoman"! When it was safe they returned to Kandor (where the serum did not work). (Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #15)

Sylvia returned to Earth from Kandor several times. When Lois Lane found herself in danger inside the Fortress of Solitude, she used Superman's new "Exchange Ray" (an invention that could swap a single Kandorian with someone from Earth) to change places with Sylvia. Outside the bottled city, Sylvia regained her power of invulnerability and thus she survived the poisonous gas that threatened Lois. But the Exchange Ray had broken, so while Superman repaired it, Lois met Van-Zee's twin brother, Dik-Zee. He was also a ringer for Superman, and they hit it off. Dik asked Lois to marry him, but before she could respond, she and Sylvia were switched back to their rightful places. (#21)

Van-Zee soon made his own version of Superman's Exchange Ray. He and Sylvia sometimes took a peek at life outside Kandor and one day noticed that Lois was in mortal danger. Van used his ray to swap the women again. (#24)

Sylvia and her husband made several brief appearances (#22, 51), including when Superman accidentally transported himself into Kandor. Bor-Jak of Kandor was also monitoring events on Earth and he became infatuated with Lois' sister, Lucy Lane. Bor-Jak took the opportunity to take Superman's place in order to meet her. This caused much confusion because he, too, wore a Superman costume. Lucy ultimately decided not to pursue the relationship. (#27)

Superman hoped that in partnering with Van-Zee, a great scientist, they could finally discover the way to enlarge Kandor. Jimmy Olsen agreed to take an adventure into Kandor and changed places with Van-Zee, but he failed to find a solution. (Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #53)

The conditions of life inside a bottle began to take a psychological toll on the populace of Kandor. Verging on civil war, Van-Zee and other leaders convinced Superman to become their king to solve their problems. Things got weird when Superman fell under the spell of a mutated alien cat from the planet Zirkon and acted like a cruel "Mister Hyde." It was unclear how effective Superman's tenure as "king" was. (World's Finest Comics #240)

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:

• Action Comics #336
• Krypton Chronicles #1, 2
• Superman vol. 1 #148 (cameo), 149 (cameo), 158, 336, 414 
• The Superman Family #188
• Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #15, 21, 22 (cameo), 24, 27 (cameo), 51 (imaginary)
• Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #53
• World's Finest Comics #240

The Adventures of Nightwing and Flamebird

Superman and Jimmy Olsen

Another Kandorian scientist named Van-Ol did invent a method of enlarging himself, and used the process to explore Earth. He searched for elements he needed to make a ray that could restore the entire city to full size. But Superman knew that Van-Ol's technology was unstable, so Van-Ol turned public sentiment against Superman.

Superman was forced to go undercover in Kandor, so he and Jimmy Olsen took the aliases Nightwing and Flamebird — the "Dynamic Duo of Kandor." Then, Superman dressed as Van-Zee to infiltrate Van-Ol's lab, but he was found out. Van-Zee then became Nightwing (II) and rescued Superman with the help of the Kandorian Superman Emergency Squad. The Kandorians eventually realized their error and renewed their faith in Superman. (Superman #158)

Superman and Jimmy shared a handful of adventures as Nightwing and Flamebird. (Superman Family #183, Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #69, World's Finest Comics #143)

Ak-Var, the Reformed

Ak-Var was a prisoner of the Phantom Zone. Before Krypton exploded, Ak-Var was convicted of trying to steal the city's treasured Sun-Stone. After Kandor was rescued by Superman, Ak-Var's sentence was up and according to Krytponian law, he would be released to his original home. Ak-Var was truly repentant and Superman introduced him to Van-Zee, who took him under his wing.

But Ak-Var had unknowingly carried Red Kryptonite radiation from Earth into Kandor and it affected his old conspirators Vas-Quor, Brenn-Bir and Kyl-Ibo. These three gained super-powers and attempted to steal the Sun-Stone again. Ak-Var helped to capture them and proved that he had reformed. Van-Zee offered him a job as his assistant and Ak-Var began dating Zee's niece, Thara (they eventually married). (Action Comics #336, Superman Family #189)

Superman Family

Van-Zee and Ak-Var starred in a regular feature, "Nighwing and Flamebird," which began in Superman Family #183 (May/June 1977), a giant-sized title.

When Kandor was attacked by a giant amoeba-like creature, the public cried out for Nightwing and Flamebird. But Superman and Jimmy Olsen were nowhere near, so Van-Zee rushed with Ak-Var to Nor-Kann's house (he had died years before), where the secret Nightcave still held all their equipment.

Given Van's resemblance to Superman and his experience with the Superman Emergency Squad, he proposed that they don the uniforms. Ak-Var hesitated because of his criminal past, but Van knew he was reformed, so Ak-Var became Flamebird II. Together they captured Zal-Te, who had used an experimental enlarging ray to turn an single cell organism into a huge monster. (Superman Family #185) The public remained unaware that the identities of their heroes had changed.

Frustrated by years of fruitless campaigns against Superman, Brainiac struck again at Kandor. The android rigged the bottled city to be destroyed but he didn't account for Nightwing and Flamebird. They exited Kandor and became super-powered, then tricked Brainiac into letting down his force field. Superman returned just in time to destroy Brainiac's bomb. (#183)

In Kandor, a separatist movement formed to try to expedite the process of enlarging the city and colonize a new world. Even Ak-Var, who was new to life in a bottle, was feeling its constraints. One separatist took the guise of a legendary Kryptonian archer called called Zim-Ra and attempted to kill their Vice President with trick arrows. Nightwing and Flamebird saved him and the President as well. (#184) Note: Zim-Ra was first mentioned in Action Comics #336 (Apr. 1966).

Ak and Van were conscripted by The Overseer, a psionic entity from another dimension, to confront a conqueror called Blaz. They had their super-powers but Blaz was a magical being (to which Kryptonians are vulnerable). They stopped him using their grit and guile. (#186)

Ak-Var rn for an open seat on the Kandorian Science Council and Superman and Jimmy Olsen returned to Kandor to witness the elections. Ak-Var debuted his protoype enlarging machine, which he hoped would help restore the city someday. A group of separatists tried to steal it because they wanted to use it immediately, and Superman and Jimmy were surprised when the new Nightwing and Flamebird leapt to intervene!

The duo's new scientific adviser, Dev-Re (#173, 187) helped outfit the Earthers with costumes, and Jimmy and Ak-Var squabbled over the Flamebird role. The separatists kidnapped Van-Zee and blackmailed him into working for them. One named Sor-El enlarged himself and others, but their plot was stopped. (And in the end, Ak-Var also lost his election bid.) (#188)

Nightwing and Flamebird worked with the whole Superman family to defeat the Preservers. These aliens were collectors (like Brainiac), who stole civilizations and enshrined them in their multidimensional Museum of Eternity. The Preservers sent their Purifier, who enlarged and removed Kandor once again for their Museum. Visitors to Kandor, like Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, were removed as "impurities."

In order to "collect" all Kryptonians, the Preservers freed the prisoners of the Phantom Zone as well. With the help of Don-El (Superman's cousin who was the commander of the Kandorian police), Ak-Var managed to convince even their enemies to help them fight the Preservers. With Supergirl's timely assistance, the heroes escaped from the Museum, defeated the Preservers, and restored all of the captives. For civilizations from the long-gone past, they found a habitable world for them to start anew. (#190)

The mysterious Crime-Lord hired goons to steal the last remaining Sun-Stone — the same thing for which Ak-Var was convicted decades before. (#189) Unknown to anyone, this Crime-Lord was from a parallel universe. In fact, he was Jur-Ll, that dimension's counterpart to Superman's father, Jor-El. He was a brilliant scientist but desired conquest and was ultimately sentenced to the Phantom Zone. By sheer luck, he followed a flaw in the Zone into the Krypton-One. Jur-Ll lived in secret on Kandor just before it was stolen by Brainiac. He intended to use the city's fabled Sun-Stone to enlarge Kandor and escape its confines — even if it meant destroying the city to do it. (#194)

Jur-Ll believed that he needed Ak-Var for his scientific knowledge and began a campaign to brainwash the hero and turn him against Van-Zee. After Ak shook the mind-control, Nightwing and Flamebird alerted the authorities to protect the Sun-Stone. Jur-Ll's experiment went off the rails when the Sun-Stone released its solar energy into his body, causing him to expand into nothingness. (#192–194)

A New Krypton

After many years of failed experiments, Superman finally succeeded in enlarging and relocating the city of Kandor. He invented a device that would collect the energies of a nova star, which would power a ray that could enlarge the city.

Instead of Earth, Kandor's leaders chose an uninhabited planet under a red sun because most citizens disliked the idea of having a whole city of super-people on Earth. Also, Superman was on record having the opinion that “there isn’t a nation that wouldn’t welcome you with open arms!” Van-Zee ultimately agreed, saying that Superman and Supergirl were enough for any world. (Superman #338) The people voted to name this new world Rokyn, meaning "god's gift" in Kryptonian (deciding against "New Krypton"). (The Krypton Chronicles #1)

But Superman's ray had a significant side effect: all non-metal structures disintegrated after being enlarged! Superman ardently wanted to stay and help rebuild, but Van-Zee forced him to go. You see, Rokyn was a "Phase-World" that existed in another dimension and at regular intervals it would disappear and later synchronize back with normal space. (Superman #338)

On Superman's next return visit to "New Krypton," he recruited Sylvia Van-Zee's help to defeat the Superman Revenge Squad, which had taken mental control of the Kandorian population. While the powerless Superman was made to fight Van-Zee, Sylvia's human physiology was unaffected and she helped to defeat the villains. (Superman #414) Note: This group first appeared as the Superboy Revenge Squad in Superboy #94 (Jan. 1962) and as the Superman Revenge Squad in Action Comics #286 (Mar. 1962).

Powers

While in Kandor, an artificial red sun keeps Nightwing and Flamebird as powerless as an average human. But the heroes used anti-gravity technology in combination with belt rockets to enable short flights. They are also trained athletes and experienced in hand-to-hand combat.

When outside of the city and under yellow sun radiation, Nightwing and Flamebird have all the abilities of Superman: super-strength and -speed, invulnerability, flight, super-senses, x-ray and heat vision.

Post-Crisis

In post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity (after 1986), Superman history was rebooted and he was truly the sole survivor of Krypton. Thus any adventures involving Kandor were wiped away. This void opened the door for creators to repurpose the names "Nightwing" and "Flamebird" for other heroes.

Note that these two did not fight crime as a team.

Dick Grayson

Batman's sidekick, the original Robin, was renamed himself Nighwing (III) prior to Crisis (in Tales of the Teen Titans #44, July 1984). Today in popular culture, the name Nightwing is strongly associated with Dick Grayson, not with any Kryptonian.

Betty Kane

An obscure bat-character was renamed as "Flamebird" in order to avoid post-Crisis continuity problems. This was Betty Kane, who prior to the Crisis was the original Bat-Girl, from Batman #139 (Apr. 1961). She predated the better-known Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, who debuted in Detective Comics #359 (Jan. 1967).

Bat-Girl was a fixture in Silver Age Batman tales, as the sidekick to Batwoman (Kathy Kane). (Batman #139) But after 1964, these characters fell from favor and rarely appeared again. Bat-Girl returned briefly to join the Teen Titans in 1977. (Teen Titans vol. 1 #50)

But Batman's Silver Age continuity was also nullified by the Crisis, and Betty's identity was retconned. In post-Crisis continuity she was now known as Flamebird (III), and her name spelled "Bette." Bat-Girl made one last cameo in a pin-up from New Teen Titans vol. 2 #47 (Sept. 1988) before she was rechristened "Flamebird" in in Secret Origins Annual #3 (1989).

Following Infinite Crisis, a new Batwoman (Katherine Kane, Batman's cousin) was also invented. Bette/Flamebird was her cousin, and she became a supporting character in Batwoman's adventures (beginning in Detective Comics #856, Oct. 2009).

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:

Bat-Girl:

• Batman vol. 1 #139, 141, 144, 153, 159
• Batman Family #16
  
• Detective Comics #322 
• Tales of the Teen Titans #50 
• Teen Titans vol. 1 #50–52 

As Flamebird:

• 52 #32
• Beast Boy #1–4
• Birds of Prey #70, 72, 73
• Detective Comics #856, 861, 862
• Guy Gardner: Warrior #29, 39
• Hawk and Dove Annual #1
• Infinite Crisis #4
• JLA/Titans #1–3
• New Titans #56
• Secret Origins vol. 2 Annual #3
• Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #3
• Teen Titans vol. 3 #22, 23, 32, 39
• Titans #35, 36, 39, 50, Annual #1
• Titans Secret Files #2
• Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special #1
• Wonder Woman vol. 2 #174, 175
• Young Justice #20, 21
• Young Justice: Sins of Youth #2

Infinite Crisis: Power Girl and Supergirl

After many post-Crisis years without Kara Zor-El (though there were several pseudo-Supergirl's), the character was formally reintroduced in Superman/Batman #8 (May 2004). In one adventure in space, Power Girl and Supergirl took the undercover identities of Nightwing and Flamebird (IV), respectively (Supergirl vol. 5 #6, Apr. 2006).

Supergirl and Power Girl were on an undercover mission into a shrunken city that called itself "Kandor." There people had formed a religion around the Kryptonian symbol of the House of El and believed that they were Kryptonian as well. To hide 'in plain sight,' Kara and Karen disguised themselves as the legendary heroes. The leaders of this cult turned out to be "refugees" from lost universes: Saturn Queen and Ultraman. (Supergirl vol. 5 #6–8)

Supergirl and Power Girl did not use these identities beyond this one case.

Final Crisis: Lor-Zod and Thara Ak-Var

Because Superman was the "sole survivor" of Krypton in post-Crisis continuity, there was no city of Kandor. After Infinite Crisis and the return of Kara Zor-El, the mythos of Kandor was brought back as well.

In this new continuity, the all-new Nightwing and Flamebird (V) were Lor-Zod, the son of General Zod, and Thara Ak-Var of Kandor (the name of Ak-Var's wife in pre-Crisis continuity). (Action Comics #871)

...

[Their identies were revealed in Action #875 and The story of how they meet and became a team was told in Action Comics Annual #11 (2008). trying to bring in villains undercover, Chris aging in bursts. Thara's parents, Ak-Var and Tes Ak-Var, served Zod originally. narly killed by Ursa 876. two fell in love. This Thara had a spiritual connection

The Son of Zod

The Kryptonian system of justice sometimes sentenced criminals to the Phantom Zone, an immaterial realm between universes. Here, two of its inmates, General Dru-Zod and Ursa, bore a child, Lor-Zod. This was possible only inside Fort Rozz, the only place in the Phantom Zone which was solid and where time passed normally. Ursa and Zod were abusive to the boy and tried to use him as a means to escape from the Zone. (Action Comics #851)

Lor-Zod escaped the Zone in a ship that crashed in Metropolis and was recovered by Superman. He was shocked to discover that the boy demonstrated super-strength and spoke Kryptonese! He quickly spirited the boy away to Smallville. (#844)

Superman taught the boy how to fly. He and Lois Lane adopting the boy and named him “Christopher Kent” (#845), pretending that he was their cousin's son. When General Zod and others escaped to Earth, they attacked Superman and sent him into the Phantom Zone. (#846)

Superman was forced to ally with Lex Luthor, who formed a new anti-Kryptonian strike force with Metallo, Bizarro and the Parasite. (#851)

This team was able to rig Zod's ship to make a reverse trip to the Phantom Zone and in doing so, it drew all its passengers back with it. Superman tried to keep Chris on Earth but when the boy realized this was preventing the portal from closing, he released his grip and returned to the Zone as well. Later, Superman asked Mon-El (a friend inside the Zone) to check on him, but there was no trace. (Action Comics Annual #11)

But from within the Phantom Zone, Lor-Zod began to establish a psychic connection with a young woman in Kandor — Thara Ak-Var. (Action #875)

(Re)Discovering Kandor

Years before, on Kandor, Thara Ak-Var was the daughter of two military parents (Ak-Var and Thara, now dead) who had served under Ursa on Krypton. When Thara's parents died, Kara's Zor-El's parents, Zor-El and Allura, took in Thara and the girls became like sisters. (Supergirl vol. 5 #44) Note: In Silver Age mythos, Supergirl was born after the destruction of Krypton, in Argo City.

Prior to the destruction of Krytpon, the sinister android called Brainiac abducted the entire of city of Kandor. It was shrunken and kept inside Brainiac's ship. When the planet was imperiled, the scientists used Brainiac's force field technology to protect Argo City. It was launched into space but ultimately discovered by Brainiac and assimilated into Kandor. (#869)

When Brainiac arrived on Earth (Action Comics #866), Superman discovered that the android had Kandor in its possession and drew Brainiac out of his cocoon of suspended animation. (#867–868)

Superman and Supergirl were shocked to learn that Supergirl's parents were alive and among Kandor's population.

Superman destroyed Brainiac's ship and Kandor was restored to full size in the Arctic. (#870) When the Kryptonians began making plans for a new home, conflict arose between Superman and the head of Kandor's military: General Zod! To help maintain the peace, two new heroes entered the scene: Nightwing and Flamebird (V). (#871)

These heroes were Christopher Kent (he did not like to be called "Lor-Zod") and Thara Ak-Var of the Kandorian police. They "met" previously via a psychic connection from within the Phantom Zone. Chris was released from the Zone along with all the others imprisoned there. Thara was now serving under Ursa and she learned that agents were being sent to Earth on covert missions. Chris and Thara created their aliases because of anti-Kryptonian sentiment and to keep tabs on these operatives.

Chris, who was a mutant, was also suffering from spasmic pains because his body was aging abnormally fast. (#875)

The people of Earth were fearful of rogue "supermen" and General Sam Lane assembled his own strike force. His agent, Reactron, killed Zor-El. (#872)

Then, the Kryptonians used their "sunstones" to create an entire new planet that orbited the oppostie side of sun. (#873) To keep an eye on them, Superman agreed to become a Commander in "New Krypton's" Military Guild — under Zod. (Superman: World of New Krypton #1)

Nightwing and Flamebird uncovered several Ursa's agents on Earth, (#875) and in retaliation, Ursa cut Thara with a Kryptonite-laced knife. Chris brought Thara to Lois Lane, (#876) who called Dr. Light to heal her. (#877)

Chris and Thara resumed their mission and when The agent Codename: Assassain used his telepathy on Thara, it triggered the latent power of the ancient Flamebird powers within her. (#878–879)

The Hunt for Reactron

Chris and Thara became heroes on Earth and his newly advanced maturity led them into a romantc relationship as well. This was as legends had prescribed for the Flamebird and the Nightwing. (#880)

They teamed with Thara's old friend, Supergirl and the three of them were framed by General Lane for the murder of Mon-El. Thara began to hear voices and believed that it was her gods (whereas Chris considered them mere myths). (#881, Supergirl vol. 5 #45)

The tracked down Reactron and Thara took a blast from the villain. This caused her Flamebird powers to flare again. (Action #882, Supergirl #46)

Nightwing and Flamebird continued to hunt one of Ursa's most dangerous sleeper agents on Earth, Jax-Ur. The previous mission had exposed their identities and they no longer needed to disguise their faces and adopted more "super-hero"-like costumes. They took up residence in Hong Kong. While Chris doubted that they had connection to any "gods," his powers flared unexpectedly, causing him to age decades older. (Action #883)

Ironically, he was saved by Jax-Ur, who was living as a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist. (#884) Nightwing and Flamebird were still wanted and they surrendered to Lane's agents. (#885)

In Kryptonian mythology, the Flamebird was created by the god Rao on Krypton, as a counterpart to the power of Vohc the Builder. Whatever Vohc created, the Flamebird would destroy. Thus, each of Vohc's creations was better than the last. Vohc loved the Flamebird, but it fell in love with another creature called the Nightwing instead. The Nighwing was Rao's "eyes in the dark." Vohc became jealous and was rejected by the Flamebird, so he imprisoned the Nightwing inside a Sunstone. He was then known as Vohc the Breaker. All three entities were said be reincarnated after their deaths. In the current day, Jax-Ur was the reincarnation of Vohc the Breaker. (Action Comics #886)

Jax-Ur succeeded in his project to manifest Rao itself, using the essences from Flamebird and Nightwing. With this power he trapped Nightwing in the "void of shadows." (#887) Nightwing was reimprisoned in the Phantom Zone, where he encountered his legendary namesake and finally accepted his link to it. (#888)

The Nighwing's supernatural power led the heroes to force Vohc out of Jax-Ur and Nightwing took the power of Rao into himself. (#889)

War of the Supermen

General Zod unleashed his forces at Earth, causing a war between Kryptonians, with Earth's protectors caught in the crossfire. (Superman: War of the Supermen #0)

New Krypton was destroyed by Lex Luthor and Zod took the survivors onto his armada of ships. (#1)

Flamebird sensed the disaster in space and set out to save her people. She expends herself destroying Rao, sacrificing her life. The sun is restored. (#3)

Supergirl takes down Superwoman; Guardian gets revenge on Assassin. Lane kills himself "no prisoners." They project most Kryptonians into the Phantom Zone. Krypto takes Zod's kryptonite knife. Superman intends to be Zod's jailer, but Chris takes over instead, forcing him out again. Mon-El finds Chris in the Zone. The projector is destroyed. #4

Superman returns as Doomsday appears and finds his kidnapped comrades. But meanwhile Luthor has achieved enormous power from Phantom Zone radiation and grabs Superman across the Milky Way. Kal moves to enter the Zone for Chris. The power comes from a child being that grew in teh Zone which created the black ring of energy spheres to enter the main universe intent on destroying all negative emotion. Now Luthor has the Zone Child's power and Superman challenges him why waste it on revenge? He learns his secret identity then is further jealous of THAT life. Luthor takes even more power and all suffering ends in the universe. Luthor eventually expends the energy. He disappears along with the spheres. Lois goes off on her own. The smallest part of the Zone Child remains. Back home he finds his friends and they're attaked by 3 more Doomsdays. (Action Comics #899)

Powers

Lor-Zod was a Kryptonian mutant who had a lesser degree of his people's strength or invulnerability, but possessed tactile-based telekinesis. He was also not vulnerable to Kryptonite and red sunlight did not affect his powers.

Thara Ak-Var had all super-powers of her race while under a yellow sun: super-strength, invulnerability, flight, super-senses (including heat and x-ray vision).

 

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:

• Action Comics #871–889