Lana Lang

Lana Lang
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Superboy #10 (September/October 1950)
Created by	Bill Finger John Sikela
In-story information
Full name	Lana Lang
Team affiliations	LexCorp
Supporting character of	Superboy (Kal-El) Superman Supergirl
Notable aliases	Insect Queen, Superwoman

Lana Lang is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics' Superman comics series.

Publication history

Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, the character first appears in Superboy #10 (September/October 1950). Across decades of Superman comics and adaptations into other media, Lana has most consistently been depicted as Superman's teenage romantic interest growing up in Smallville; as an adult, she is a distant friend of Superman in his civilian identity as Clark Kent.

Lana is one of many Superman characters with the alliterative initials "LL", the most notable other examples being Superman's primary love interest Lois Lane and nemesis, Lex Luthor. In the Silver Age, she regularly appeared in comic books depicting the adventures of Superman's teenaged self, Superboy, and also appeared as an adult in numerous Superman titles, vying with Lois Lane for his attention. In Modern revisions of DC Comics continuity, she and Clark are shown to have remained friends since their teenage years. The stories varies across different revisions of Superman's origin story. For example, in Superman: Secret Origin, Lana becomes privy to Clark's unusual abilities at an early age and becomes his earliest confidant outside of his parents and the futuristic Legion of Super-Heroes.

She has been featured in most other media adaptations of Superboy, typically as a teenager. These portrayals include the Adventures of Superboy television series, played by Stacy Haiduk. And the WB television series Smallville, played by Kristin Kreuk. In Smallville she was teenage Clark Kent's principal romantic interest throughout the show's first seven seasons. She has also appeared in many adaptations of Superman stories, although her role is generally smaller. In Superman: The Movie Lana was played by Diane Sherry. In the 1983 film Superman III, she is played by Annette O'Toole, who would later portray Martha Kent on Smallville.

Fictional character biography

Silver Age and Bronze Age

Earth-One version

In the original Superboy stories, Lana was the girl who lived next door to the Kent family in Smallville, and was a romantic interest of Superboy. In the Silver Age stories, Lana often behaved like a younger version of Lois Lane, spending much of her time trying to prove that Superboy and Clark Kent were one and the same.^[1]

At one point, Lana once rescued an insect-like alien trapped by a fallen tree in Smallville. In gratitude, the alien gave her a "bio-genetic" ring which allowed Lana to gain insect (and insect-like, such as arachnids) characteristics. Lana created a yellow honeybee-like costume and mask, and took the name "Insect Queen", under which identity Lana had several adventures.^[2]

Lana also had various adventures with Superboy, and several with the futuristic superhero team the Legion of Super-Heroes.^[3] Also appearing in some Silver Age stories was Lana's uncle, Professor Potter, an eccentric inventor.^[4]

After Clark and Lana graduated from high school, Lana went to college, and eventually became a television reporter for Metropolis TV station WMET-TV.^[5] As an adult, Lana became a rival to Lois Lane for Superman's affection in various 1960s stories, often appearing in the title Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Lana became an anchorwoman for WGBS-TV's evening news in Metropolis, as a co-anchor to Clark Kent.^[6] Her attraction to Superman during this time had also died off, leaving Superman to Lois Lane. Lana later became romantically linked to the alien super-hero Vartox.^[7] Eventually, she and Clark Kent became romantically involved in stories prior to the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Earth-Two version

In the early 1980s, with the use of the multiverse system DC had in place, Lana Lang was also shown in several stories to have had an Earth-Two counterpart (Earth-Two at the time the home of the Justice Society of America and DC's Golden Age versions of its characters, versus its mainstream universe of "Earth-One"). The Earth-Two Lana Lang was introduced in Superman Family #203. In this story, Lana Lang joins the Daily Star as a television critic. On Earth-two Lana's father left Smallville and move to Metropolis as a young man, so Clark did not know Lana in his youth.

Later, she became an Insect Queen like her Earth-One counterpart; in this case, Lana had received a mystic amulet from her archaeologist father, said amulet having been created to allow a Pharaoh to control and divert the locust hordes that threatened ancient Egypt. Unfortunately, the charm associated with the amulet was set to be energized by the sound of approaching insect wings; by unfortunate coincidence, the sound of Superman's super-speed flying was similar enough to activate the spell. Lana was thus compelled to create a Chitinous golden-brown costume (woven by silkworms under her control) and adopt a villainous alter ego, the Insect Queen. After an initial clash with Superman, the Insect Queen fell under the mental influence of Superman's enemy, the Ultra-Humanite, who kept her under the spell's compulsion and prevented her from reverting to normal. Earth-Two's Superman was able to locate an antidote to the spell, which Lois Lane used to remove the compulsion (Superman Family #213), letting Lana break free of Ultra's influence and making her able to use the amulet's power at her own discretion. The Earth-2 Insect Queen would later use her abilities to aid Superman in times of need. This version of Lana Lang was retconned out of existence after the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Modern Age

After the 1985-1986 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths was written, various aspects of Lana's history were retconned, starting with comics writer John Byrne's miniseries The Man of Steel, which was designed to rewrite Superman's origin from scratch. In the post-Crisis version of events, Lana was a childhood friend of Clark, with a certain degree of romantic tension in the air as Lana had long pined after Clark, who had loved her only platonically in return.

After they graduated from high school Clark took Lana on a private walk, saying that he had to tell her something important, which Lana honestly expected to be a marriage proposal. He then divulged to her that he had superpowers, displayed by flying her around the world, before explaining that he felt he had to leave Smallville to help humanity as a whole. Kissing her goodbye "like a brother," Lana was left in considerable shock, not only over the revelation of Clark's superpowers, but also over the final realization that he held no reciprocal romantic feelings towards her, leaving Lana heartbroken and alone. When Lana finally aired her grievance with him years later (The Man of Steel #6), Clark felt very badly over how he had hurt her.

When Clark appeared in public as Superman some years later, the lonely and depressed Lana deduced his true identity and became something of a stalker, to the extent that Lex Luthor noticed the frequency with which she appeared in the vicinity of the hero and actually had her tortured in an attempt to gain whatever inside knowledge of Superman she might have. However, Lana bravely kept Clark's identity a secret and upon his rescuing her their relationship became more healthy once again, albeit still at a distance. This stalking proved to be caused by a long-term conspiracy of the Oan-created androids, the Manhunters, from whose control Lana and the rest of Smallville's children born around the same time as her were eventually freed. Unlike the pre-Crisis Earth-One continuity, Lana did not go on to have a journalistic career or compete with Lois for Superman's affections, nor play a significant role in Clark's life in Metropolis.

Lana's relationship with Clark is again altered in 2003's Superman: Birthright limited series by Mark Waid, which again revises Superman's origins. This storyline, which takes some inspiration from the TV show Smallville (such as the appearance of Ma and Pa Kent), also shows Clark and Lana to have had a mutual romantic relationship during their youth. At the start of the storyline, Lana has already left Smallville prior to Clark's return from his world journey. Upon his arrival home, Clark is told that Lana left some time prior and has not been heard from since. Following this storyline, there is never again any mention of her history regarding Clark or Superman.

Lana's "Birthright" history has been yet again re-made following the events of the Infinite Crisis, which has revived Clark's pre-Crisis Superboy alter-ego. In this new history, Lana's romantic relationship with Clark was often interrupted by her two obnoxious brothers (which she lacked in previous versions). The full extent of her history and her connection to Superboy/Clark has not been fully disclosed. Again, her previous history has not been mentioned since this revision.

Years later, the post-Crisis Lana eventually married Pete Ross. The two settled into a quiet life in Smallville, where they had a son they named after their mutual friend, Clark, after Lana asked Clark to save the baby's life when a car accident caused him to be born eight weeks premature; although Clark's efforts to take him to receive care were interrupted by the attack of the Brainiac-controlled Doomsday, Brainiac's subsequent attempts to use the baby's DNA to create a new body for himself brought the baby to full term. Pete began a career in politics that got him elected to the Senate. In 2000, Senator Ross became Lex Luthor's vice presidential running mate in Luthor's bid to become President, and after the two won, Lana moved to Washington, D.C. Eventually, Luthor was forced from his office, and Pete Ross became President (and Lana the First Lady). As she and Pete began to drift apart, Lana began to subtly attempt to regain Clark's affections, much to the anger of his (now) wife Lois Lane. Pete and Lana briefly reunited after Superman saved them from being killed by the villainous Ruin.^[8]

In Superman #654, Perry White reported that Lana had become CEO of Lexcorp following the ousting of founder Lex Luthor. In Superman/Batman #49, it is revealed that she sold Kryptonite to the government to prevent Lexcorp from going under, and had caches of Kryptonite placed all over the planet, as a last-ditch defense if Superman should ever go rogue. When Superman and Batman come to remove the Kryptonite, Lana refuses to hand it over, and pushes a button which turns the caches into "dirty bombs" which spread Kryptonite molecules through the entire planet, forcing all Kryptonians to vacate. However, Toyman uses special nanobots to remove all of the Kryptonite molecules, undoing the damage. Superman meets with Lana again, with Lana telling him she was left with no choice. Superman responds by telling her that, while he does sometimes wonder what things would have been like if he had married her rather than Lois, there is a reason he is with Lois instead of her, Lois would never have pushed the button. After Superman flies off, someone is shown watching Lana crying on a screen, saying to her "you did perfect". In Superman/Batman #63 suggests that this was Gorilla Grodd, when Batman mentions that "Grodd finally finished what he started when he controlled Lana all those years ago." However, this scenario is later revealed to be a simulation created in the Batcomputer.

She later tries to help Superman, facing the time-traveling strongman Atlas, by sending the Luthor Squad. This act activates a dormant program inside the Lexcorp mainframes, an holographic version of Luthor. The holographic copy of Luthor informs Lana that by helping Superman she has violated the Lexcorp standard contract of employment ("very, very fine print"), that forbids Lexcorp employers to use Lexcorp resources for helping Kryptonians, under the penalty of termination. Lana is given five minutes to leave the building, or she will be shot to death.^[9]

In 2008, new Supergirl writer Sterling Gates told Newsarama: "We're integrating Supergirl's book more into the Superman universe, and that includes having a supporting cast that overlaps with that world. I'm very interested in tying her back in to Metropolis and making sure that her world is a part of the Superman universe. Cat Grant will be a regular supporting cast member, as will Lana Lang."^[10]

Lana takes it upon herself to reach out to Supergirl. She offers her advice and friendship. Around the same time, Perry White has been actively pursuing Lana to take over the Business section of the Daily Planet, a position which Lana was afraid to accept, following her bad experience with Lexcorp. Eventually, Lana and Supergirl decide together that Lana will accept the position, and that Supergirl will take on the secret identity of Linda Lang, niece of Lana Lang. Lana now lives in Metropolis with Supergirl, and is working as the editor of the Business section of the Daily Planet.

She briefly returns to Smallville to attend Jonathan Kent's funeral. However, unable to muster enough resolve to patch up things with Clark, Lana leaves before giving him her condolences.^[11]

While attending a student journalism award ceremony with Jimmy Olsen and Cat Grant, Lana suddenly collapses, with blood pouring out her nose.;^[12] She receives a call from her doctor telling her that he has "bad news" for her.^[13] Following another collapse, Lana is taken to hospital and operated on. She apparently dies on the operating table, but her body is later encased in a cocoon by black insect-like creatures, which then starts to crack open.^[14] The hospital is soon engulfed by a gigantic cocoon-like structure, and a number of workers as well as the Science Police and the Guardian are taken hostage by an army of giant insects. Supergirl is soon captured and awakens bound and gagged at the feet of Lana, who is now possessed by the Insect Queen. The Queen reveals to Supergirl that during her last encounter with Lana, she injected her with a portion of her DNA and has been slowly taking control of her body for the past year, with the ultimate goal of capturing a Kryptonian to use as a template for an army of hybird insects. Supergirl breaks free and is able to expel the Queen from Lana's body with help from Kryptonian technology, and Lana returns to her normal state. While recovering, Lana is visited by Supergirl, who tells her she can no longer be a part of her family due to her lies about her condition.^[15] Lana and "Linda" have since reconciled and are currently living in the Hammersmith tower building in Metropolis.^[16]

The New 52

In September 2011, DC Comics rebooted the DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Lana was a childhood friend of Clark and has been privy to Clark's unusual abilities from an early age.^[17] They also shared mutual romantic feelings for each other during their youth, and would have gone to the Senior Prom together if that had not been the night that Clark's parents died.^[18] Lana eventually left Clark behind in Smallville to make her own mark on the world, but not before reassuring him that she would always love him.^[19] In the present day continuity, Lana works as an electrical engineer on various projects around the world. It is hinted that adult Clark still harbours romantic feelings for Lana.^[20]

Rebirth

In 2016, DC Comics started a company wide crossover event titled Rebirth. Lana was discovered under a memorial for Superman by a pre-Flashpoint Clark Kent, where she revealed that she had made a promise to move Clark's remains next to his family's in Smallville, Kansas. The Pre-Flashpoint Clark had her take him to the Fortress of Solitude to see if he could revive Superman as he had assumed, but realized that he couldn't. He then took Lana to Smallville and helped her to re-bury Superman's remains.

It is subsequently revealed that, apparently due to their presence at the death of the New 52 Clark Kent, Lana and Lois have acquired powers, each calling themselves 'Superwoman', with Lois demonstrating Superman's traditional powers while Lana manifests a form similar to the more recent 'Superman Red', able to absorb and generate multiple forms of energy. Although she initially planned to operate in secret, after Lois is turned to stone, Lana has begun taking on a more active role as Superwoman.

Other versions

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

In Frank Miller's classic miniseries Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Lana is an overweight, middle-aged woman, and The Daily Planet's managing editor. Over the course of the story, she becomes Batman's most outspoken supporter, appearing in a series of TV debates in which she and others argue over his methods and influence.

Generations

In the first volume of 'Superman & Batman: Generations' Lana has become immortal, gained metahuman abilities and lived hundreds of years into the future, due to her constant exposure to magics and biochemicals. She has joined Superman in space as his wife, after searching for him for centuries and agrees to work with him and Batman to police the far, wild corners of known space.^[21]

JLA: The Nail

In JLA: The Nail, Lana is a doctor at a research facility dedicated to studying metahumans in the belief that they are alien invaders, although she secretly helps smuggle various heroes out of the facility to hide with the Kents (who in this reality never found Kal-El's ship).

Multiversity: Mastermen

In the seventh installment of the DC Multiverse-spanning series, Multiversity Mastermen. Lana appears as Lena in the story, on an alternate Earth where Kal-L's rocket landed in Sudetenland, in Nazi Germany's pre-war empire in 1938. Reverse-engineering Kal-L's spacecraft enables the Nazis to achieve world domination and win the Second World War. On this Earth the United States falls in April 1956, Sixty years later, Lena is Overman's consort, but their relationship is cold and loveless. She is concerned and angered about the loss of her acquired youth, chide him for mourning Overgirl, dismissing her as a mere clone, and is nervous about Freedom Fighters terrorism. She was attending a performance of 'The Ring Trilogy' in New Bayreuth, when New Reichman's Eagle's Nest space station impacted and destroyed Metropolis, killing millions. In the New 52 DC Multiverse it is Earth 10.

Superman: Red Son

In Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar, Lana is re-imagined as Lana Lazarenko. Lana grew up in the Ukraine along with the young Superman after his escape vessel landed there while he was an infant. She becomes a tour guide in a Superman museum and occasionally accompanied Superman to public events in the sixties. This continuity is now known as Earth-30 in the current New 52 DC Multiverse. Lana Lazarenko's ultimate fate is uncertain, as she does not appear in the final segment of that graphic novel, set in 2001.

In other media

Live action television

The Adventures of Superboy

In the failed 1961 TV pilot The Adventures of Superboy, Lana Lang made her first live-action appearance, portrayed by Bunny Henning, alongside Johnny Rockwell as Superboy.

Superboy (TV series)

In the late 1980s-early 1990s Superboy television series, Lana was played by Stacy Haiduk. In this version, she was a lifelong friend of Clark, who accompanied him to Shuster University (named after Superman's co-creator) and later the Bureau for Extra-Normal Matters, where she and Clark investigated all of the unusual incidents that took place in Capitol City, Florida.

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

Lana made one appearance in a 1996 episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, where she was played by Emily Procter. The Season 3 episode, "Tempus, Anyone?", is set in a parallel universe, where Clark and Lois have never met each other, as Lois vanished on an investigation in the Congo, before Clark arrived in Metropolis (which later implies to because of a predestination paradox of Clark's future actions with H. G. Wells). A blonde Lana is engaged to Clark, and she encourages him to keep his abilities secret, warning him that he'll be locked up and sent to a government laboratory if people find out about his superpowers. Lana ends the relationship after the mainstream universe Lois persuades this world's Clark to become Superman and battle the villain Tempus.

Though the mainstream universe's Lana never appeared, dialogues between Lois and Clark suggest that the latter broke up with Lana, during high school in good terms, but remains in touch as friends. It is also implies that Lana, like her parallel universe counterpart, knew of Clark's secrets.

Smallville

In the 2000s television series Smallville, Lana, played by Kristin Kreuk, is again the love interest of the young Clark Kent. In a marked contrast to the redhead Lana Lang who appears in the Superman comic books, Kreuk is a brunette with an olive complexion. Lana is said to be descended on her mother's side from a French witch, Countess Marguerite Isobel Theroux, whose vengeful spirit returns to possess her in a story line taking up much of season 4, and also a great niece of Louise McCallum, the first love of Clark's biological father, Jor-El.^[22]

In Smallville, Lana and Clark's relationship is depicted (at least initially) as the complete reverse of the post-Crisis version, whereby it was Clark who likes Lana without the other really knowing. This initial scenario also incorporated elements of the 1978 movie continuity by introducing the character of Whitney Fordman, Lana's quarterback boyfriend and Clark's antagonist at the beginning of the series. Following Whitney's departure at the end of the first season, their relationship varied over the next few years, Clark occasionally attempting to date Lana before his fears over her reaction to his secret caused him to retreat, these fears made even worse since he blames himself for the death of Lana's parents in the same meteor shower that brought him to Smallville. Although the two begin dating at the end of Season Four after Clark's powers are taken from him by Jor-El as punishment for disobeying him, he begins to draw back after he regains his abilities because he is afraid of hurting her if they are intimate.

Although he reveals his secret in the mid-season finale of Season Five, he turns back time and erases this confession when Lana is killed in an accident, subsequently breaking up with her after his father's death. Lana goes on to date and marry Lex Luthor after discovering that she is apparently pregnant, the two divorce when Lana learns that Lex faked her pregnancy to get her to marry him, Lana once again dating Clark after he admits his secret to her. Although they are involved for most of Season Seven, Lana's attempts to take down Lex while spying on him without Clark's knowledge, along with such factors as her spending a few weeks involved with Clark's Phantom Zone duplicate without realizing the difference and being attacked and sent into a coma by Brainiac, culminate in Lana leaving Clark at the end of the season.

Lana returns to Smallville (her character only appeared in five episodes in Season Eight) to attend Chloe Sullivan and Jimmy Olsen's wedding, and also to acquire a special nanotechnology suit developed by Lex Luthor, giving her superpowers matching Clark's. Unfortunately, one of Lana's new powers gives her the ability to drain energy from kryptonite, resulting in her suit constantly giving out its deadly radiation after she absorbs some of it. Clark is thus weakened when he gets close to her. Lex Luthor, in a last attempt at revenge, threatens to blow up the entire Daily Planet building with kryptonite explosives. Lana and Clark share a kiss before they decide that she has to absorb the kryptonite from the bomb, leaving the nanites embedded on her skin apparently permanently irradiated. Later at the barn, Clark attempts to kiss Lana again and as he does, green veins crawl up his face, showing that he is dying from the close exposure to kryptonite. Lana breaks off the kiss, not being able to stand the pain she is causing him. She runs off in tears and Clark is left on the floor. In the series finale when a dying Tess Mercer erases a resurrected Lex Luthor's memories Lana is seen in flashbacks as one of the many people Lex will never remember.

Lana makes an appearance in the ninth issue of television series' comic book continuation, Smallville Season Eleven, watching Clark and Bart Allen from afar at the coast of Cameroon.^[23] Lana officially returns in Smallville Season Eleven Special #2, where she uses her abilities in Africa to help children from people who would exploit them. However, after a battle with John Corben, the nanites embedded on her skin are absorbed by Corben's kryptonite heart, rendering her powerless once more.^[24] She remains dedicated to her cause and mission, but vows to change her tactics.^[24]

Animation

Beginning in 1966, Lana appeared in The Adventures of Superboy segments that were featured in the animated series The New Adventures of Superman, The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure and The Batman/Superman Hour. She was voiced by Janet Waldo in all three seasons.

Superman (1988 TV series)

Lana also appeared in the Superman 1988 animated voiced by Russi Taylor as a young girl and by Liz Georges as a teenager.

DC animated universe

Superman: The Animated Series

The pilot episode of Superman: The Animated Series followed the "post-Crisis" comics, with Lana being the first person Clark confided in about his superpowers. The young Lana was voiced by Kelley Schmidt, and the adult version by Joely Fisher. She mentioned she had a crush on him since the age of three. Lana, as an adult, first appears in "My Girl", as a famous fashion designer who already knows Superman's secret identity. Lana's relationship with Lex Luthor breaks off after she tries to pass information on to Clark about Luthor's plots. She later appears in "Obsession" and a cameo in the ending of the episode "The Late Mr. Kent", providing a cover story for Clark's reappearance after he was presumed dead after an attempt on his life.

Justice League

Lana appears in a cameo in Justice League the episode "Hereafter." She is seen at Superman's funeral. In the episode "For the Man Who Has Everything" Superman is put into a dream-like state by Mongul. In this dreamworld, Superman is living on Krypton with a wife (the physical appearance of Superman's wife suggest a combination of both Lois and Lana, as the character has the voice and appearance of Lois but with red hair, and the character being listed as Loana) and has a son named Van-El, along with Superman's father Jor-El. Dana Delany, who voices Lois Lane in Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League voices Superman's wife in this episode.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Lana makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "The Battle of the Superheroes!", an episode that pays tribute to a number of Silver Age Superman stories. In a scene that directly homages the cover to Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #26, Lana and a Red Kryptonite-infected Superman are shown relaxing together on a beach while a stunned Lois watches them in horror.

All-Star Superman

In All Star Superman, Superman briefly mentions a good friend named Lana (presumably Lana Lang) while writing down his final journal entry.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Lana Lang appears in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, voiced by Paget Brewster. She appears as a commentator while also revealed as editor of the Daily Planet on a show called "Point vs Point."

Live action films

Superman: The Movie

In Richard Donner's Superman in 1978, Lana Lang had a brief appearance in a scene at Smallville High. She was shown to be a cheerleader at the school with a fairly obvious crush on Clark, even though her current boyfriend was a football player named Brad. She was portrayed by Diane Sherry.

Superman III

In the 1983 movie Superman III, Lana was played by Annette O'Toole. In an interview for the documentary Look Up In The Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman, O'Toole states that the producers of Smallville (where she plays Clark's own adoptive mother, Martha Kent) were not aware that she had appeared in Superman III until after she was cast in the TV series. In Superman III, Lana is a divorcee with a son named Ricky. Lana's former boyfriend Brad, a former jock and Clark's childhood bully, is now a security guard and is still vying for her attention. Now, however, she despises Brad for the arrogant, self-centered jerk that he is.

DC Extended Universe

Man of Steel

Jadin Gould portrayed a young Lana Lang in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel in 2013. In the film, Lana, along with many other students, is saved by Clark after their school bus falls into a lake.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Emily Peterson portrayed Lana Lang in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In this film she makes a cameo appearance at Clark Kent's funeral after Superman had died saving Metropolis from Doomsday and expresses her condolences to Martha Kent and Lois Lane.

Video games

DC Universe Online

Lana appears in the DC Universe Online video game, voiced by Lorrie Singer.

References

External links

• Lana Lang profile at the Smallville Wiki.
• Lana Lang on DC Database, an external wiki, a DC Comics wiki