Planet DC Superman And Titans

Continuing coverage of the Planet DC Annuals of 2000...this time around with groups meeting solo heroes over the world.

Superman gets a chance to work with Iman, El Muerto and Acrata, while the Titans team up with Bushido.

Superman Annual #12 (August, 2000)

There are three heroes here...Iman, El Muerto and Acrata, in a story by Brian K. Vaughn, Carlo Barberi, Marlo Alquiza and Juan Vlasco (with a cover by Humberto Ramos and Wayne Faucher), Clark Kent gets a temporary assignment in the Mexican version of the Daily Planet, where he meets the local Mexican heroes, a group of individuals who have been working together fighting one menace, terrorists attacking Mexico City.  Acrata (Andrea Rojas, using her mystic powers, disappears into the darkness) to find the source of the problems, while El Muerto (Pablo Valdez, a young boy who died trying to be a hero like Superman, who came back to life to still fight the good fight) and Iman (Diego Irigoyen, a boy genius who became an astronaut, only to return to Earth to find his parents murdered, built a suit of armor to fight crime) and Superman tracked the menace down their way.  

Together, they tracked down Duran, who was using mystic menaces and Brett Dechamps and his environmental group, Earth Rights, to destroy civilization to prevent pollution.  Using her mystic amulet, Acrata powered Superman with the ancient magic allowing him to defeat Duran. 

In the second story, by Oscar Pinto, Francisco Haghenbeck, Carlo Barberi and Juan Vlasco, reporter Gary Hoffman delved into the secrets of Iman, El Muerto and Acrata, as well as situations that Earth Rights had set up, and even a little of the mystic history leading up to that final battle with a researcher for prehispanic cultures, Professor Bernard Rojas (secretly, Acrata's father)....at least until he was killed by the mystic forces unleashed before the main story.

These heroes would have later appearances, with Iman appearing in Final Crisis and Justice League: Cry For Justice; El Muerto popping up in Day Of Vengeance and Infinite Crisis and Acrata appearing in Birds of Prey #100 and Justice League of America #54, #55, #58 and #59.

Titans Annual #1 (September, 2000)

Meanwhile, over in Japan, Bushido debuts in a story by Geoff Johns, Benjamin Raab, Josue Justiniano and Christopher Ivy (with cover by Justiniano).  Flamebird and Beast Boy find themselves in Japan, where they get involved in a battle between Bushido (Ryuko Orsono) and Tengu, a battle which had raged on from generations (Tengu having killed Bushido's mother during a battle they had, which resulted in his inheriting her legacy and weapons to fight the demons which plagued their homeland).  In this battle, Tengu possessed Beast Boy and fled, with Flamebird left behind to explain things to the Titans (Nightwing, Flash/Wally West, Troia, Tempest and Arsenal) and prevent Bushido from killing Beast Boy in his zest to end Tengu.  Bushido and the Titans fight each other and Tengu, with Bushido eventually ending Tengu and his possession of Beast Boy (with Gar surviving).

In the second story, by Johns, Raab and Rick Mays, the origins of Bushido and his line are explored, the weapons he used that are possessed by the spirits of his ancestors, and the bloody legacy he has to deal with as he fights the Yakusa at his mother's gravesite...all the while thinking that perhaps he needed others to work with to save his own soul.  Working with the Titans was a blessing and a curse for Bushido (in Titans Secret Files and Origins, Titans #25 and #32) as it lead him to be there for an attack by Superboy-Prime in Infinite Crisis, resulting in his death....but he did return as a Black Lantern in Adventure Comics #4 and #5.