The Origin of Nightwing and Flamebird

The new Nightwing and Flamebird have been a mystery since they first appeared.  Though it's been gradually revealed that Chris Kent has aged and taken up the mantle of Nightwing, we finally get a backstory for Flamebird and an explanation for how the two got together after Chris was last seen lost in the Phantom Zone.

Superman: World of New Krypton #4

The Guardians send a delegation of Green Lanterns to investigate New Krypton, the planet that suddenly appeared on the opposite side of Earth's solar system.  Kal El tries to be diplomatic and gives his friends a guided tour, but the Lanterns don't like it when they see an armada of battleships under construction.  The Green Lanterns are attacked by a Phantom Zone criminal, who they pursue.  General Zod orders one of his soldiers to kill the criminal, but she disobeys and arrests him.  Though the criminal is wanted on OA, Zod refuses to let the Green Lantern's take him with the excuse that OA has no extradition treaty with New Krypton.  After the Green Lanterns leave, Zod has Kal El arrested and charges him with treason.

Action Comics #878

A pair of Kryptonian criminals is still on the loose on Earth, but they're mostly just invading people's homes so they can have a place to have sex.

Chris leaves Flamebird alone with Lois at her apartment, and Lois gets better acquainted with Thara, the love interest of the now-grown boy she had briefly fostered.

Nightwing and Flamebird catch up with the two Kryptonian fugitives, but then Assassin finds them all.

Action Comics Annual #12

At last we finally get an origin story for the new Nightwing and Flamebird months after they took over Action Comics.  It would have been more helpful if this story had come out months earlier.

Thara Ak-Var survived the destruction of Krypton in the Bottle City of Kandor.  Lor-Zod, now known as Chris Kent, had been born in the Phantom Zone to General Zod and Ursa.  After the events of Last Son, he finds himself trapped in the Phantom Zone again.  Thara joined the religious guild and starts to have visions of Krypton's deity, Rao.  Though worlds apart, Thara and Lor-Zod are able to mystically communicate with each other.  Eventually, Thara ventures into the Phantom Zone to rescue Lor-Zod.  Non has the ability to stop them from escaping when he takes Thara's Phantom Zone projector, but against Zod's orders he uses it to send them out of the Zone and then crushes the projector in his hands so Zod can't follow them.

Supergirl #42

Supergirl takes Lana with her to break the news to Lois that her sister, Lucy Lane, is dead.  After receiving the news, Lois appears angry with her arms crossed.  Like a good reporter, she asks several important questions and then asks Supergirl to leave.  Though Lois is upset, the real reason she's angry is that she suspects her father is still alive and the one responsible.  Supergirl flies off to speak with her mother on New Krypton.  After she leaves, Lana gets a call from her doctor with bad news.

Investigating the site where Lucy died, General Lane vows to Assassin that they're not just going to kill Supergirl, he has something in mind that's far worse.

Superman #689

Knowing he's dying of lead poisoning, Mon El decides to travel around Earth to see its sights.  Everywhere he goes, he seems to encounter obscure villains and heroes.  Some of them, like Congorilla, are heroes who haven't been seen in years.  Others appear for the first time in this issue and are never seen again.  This issue was perhaps the best story of Mon El taking Superman's place on Earth, and probably the only one we really needed rather than a whole year of filler.

The Guardian visits Tellus at S.T.A.R. Labs before the freed Legionnaire departs on his mission to save the future universe.  Tellus leaves the Guardian an unspecified gift that will give him a fair fight in his upcoming rematch with Assassin.  

John Henry Irons lets the stranger he just met in a bar into Steelworks.  His new friend reveals that he's really the villain Atlas, who's only been pretending to be his friend to get close enough to kill him.