Superman: Who is H'el?

There are so many awesome comic book storylines that can be found on the comic stands right now.

1. The Joker has returned

2. Peter Parker is no longer Spider-Man

3. Jean is back----but it’s a younger version.

4. Superman and Wonder Woman are swamping spit.

Probably the most underrated storyline so far is the one happening in the Super-family books: H’el on Earth. It is a 7 part storyline, and the first crossover among the New 52’s Super-family books. Part one began with Lobdell’s second issue of Superman, Superman # 14. Parts two, and three occurred in Superboy #14 and Supergirl #14. The first three parts can be bought now at your LCS.

For the past few years, fanboys have been bombarded with storylines that start too quickly. This forces the storylines to hit their peaks too early. That is not the case with H’el on Earth. Scott Lobdell, Tome DeFalco (writer of Superboy), and Mike Johnson (writer of Supergirl) have done a tremendous job building a foundation for the storyline. In each book, we are getting a glimpse, and tease of H’el as a character.

What has Happened so Far:


In Superman #13, H’el tested Superman by sending a kryptonian monster after him. While in Superboy #14, H’el kicks Superboy’s ass up, and down the streets of Manhattan. So far, H’el looks devious and evil. By Supergirl #14, all that has changed. Mike Johnson does a great job making the reader sympathetic for H’el. In Supergirl, the reader learns H’el was Jor-El’s student. A short time before Krypton exploded, Jor-El sent H’el out to space to safeguard the remaining pieces of Krypton’s culture. The only Kryptonian that he trusts is Supergirl, and he attempts to recruit her to help him go back in time and save Krypton.

Was your response “What???” after you read that last sentence? That was our response too. It doesn’t end there. By the end of Supergirl #14, H’el gives Supergirl the ability to speak English and he teleports her to Clark’s apartment. Supergirl walks into the apartment while Clark is attempting to have a serious conversation with Lois. The biggest surprise of this issue is that Mike Johnson made it seem that Clark was on the verge of outing his secret identity to Lois Lane.

What do we know about H’el so Far:

1. He was Jor-El’s student.

2. Jor-El sent him to space to safeguard the remaining remnants of Krypton’s culture.

3. His powers are unlike the other Kryptonians. He can teleport, has the ability to fly, and was able to teach Supergirl English with a simple touch.

4. H’el has come to Earth to recruit Supergirl in hopes that they can return to Krypton and stop its destruction.

Theories on H’el:

1. H’el is indeed Jor-El’s student, and it took him over 20 years to reach Earth. Over the past twenty years, he has been taken prisoner and tortured by other Alien races. Maybe H’el believes that saving Krypton is the only way to save the cosmos from further mutual destruction between Alien races.

2. H’el was a clone created by Supergirl’s Father, Zor-El, and he was saved by Jor-El. To ensure his safety from destruction, H’el was planted with false memories and shot into space.

3. If you noticed, Lex Luthor is on the cover of Superman #15. There is always the possibility that H’el is the new 52’s version of Bizzaro. If you have been following Action Comics, you are aware that Luthor was in possession of Superman’s spaceship. There was always a chance that Luthor cloned Superman, named him H’el, and implanted him with false memories