Spider-Man #1

April 1, 2026March 31, 2026 blakemp Superman Stuff Belen Ortega, Ben Parker, Brainiac, Carnage, Christopher Priest, Daniel Sampere, DC Comics, Doctor Octopus, Gail Simone, Greg Rucka, Jeff Lemire, Jim Lee, Jimmy Olsen, Jonah Jameson, Jonathan Kent, Jorge Jimenez, Lois Lane, Mark Waid, Marvel Comics, Mary Jane Watson, Matt Fraction, Nicola Scott, Power Girl, Punisher, Rafa Sandoval, Sean Murphy, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Steve Lieber, Superboy, Superboy Prime, superman, Tom King

At last, the time has come! After months of waiting, DC Comics blessed us this week with the first of the two crossover books featuring Superman and Spider-Man, and as promised, there’s a bounty of back-up stories as well. As with any anthology, some of the stories are better than others, so this time out I’m going to give you my thoughts on each of them.

DC/Marvel: Superman/Spider-Man #1
Main Cover: Jorge Jimenez, although it should be noted that there are – at current count – FORTY-ONE different covers to this book, and while I’m absolutely NOT gonna shell out $8 a copy for all of them, if DC and Marvel put out a special that collected all of the various covers from this book and the Marvel book coming out in a couple of months, I would 100 percent purchase it.

Title: Truth, Justice, and Great Responsibility
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Jorge Jimenez

In our main story this issue, Dr. Octopus is messing around with an AI assistant that turns out to be Superman’s old foe Brainiac, which just goes to show you that using ChatGPT is just bad news. Clark Kent and Peter Parker, meanwhile, are working together on a story about the theft of some radioactive materials…including Kryptonite.

Mark Waid does something truly unique with this story. In the universe he’s created here, he presupposes that Superman and Spider-Man – and more specifically, Clark and Peter, have a history together. And I don’t just mean the previous crossovers between the two that have happened in the past (all of which are decades old). No, reading this book you get a clear feeling that this is an incarnation of DC and Marvel’s respective flagship characters that have had a great number of adventures together that we, the reader, have not been privy to. Most crossovers start with the characters meeting each other for the first time. If we’re lucky, they’re at least aware of the others’ existence, but they’ve never encountered each other before. This book instead implies a whole shared existence between the two that feels so fresh and so RIGHT, and makes me wish there were more stories coming beyond just the Marvel book.

Like seriously. DC. Marvel. Get Waid working on a 12-issue maxiseries showing the entire history of this Multiple World’s Finest duo, like YESTERDAY.

Jorge Jimenez on the art is the icing on the cake. He’s got a great take on each of our heroes and both of our villains. The story looks as good as it reads. The lead story is a home run.

Title: Lois & Mary Jane in “The World’s Finest”
Writer: Tom King
Pencils: Jim Lee
Inks: Scott Williams

Tom King’s Lois and Mary Jane story is next, and this is an interesting one. As Superman and Spider-Man duke it out with a rogue Sentinel (is there any other kind?), Lois and MJ go about a sort of casual conversation amongst the chaos about what it means to be them, the women in the lives of two of the world’s greatest heroes. It’s a really interesting way to frame these two, using their unique shared perspective in a way that wouldn’t really work with any other two women in comics. Using the backdrop of the Sentinel fight instead of just having them meet for lunch or something (as they do on the Terry Dodson variant cover) gives it a different flavor that makes it feel more unique. I feel like this one is intended to be in continuity with Waid’s story, and if that means this shared universe is one where Pete and Mary Jane are still together, I want more stories set in this universe even MORE.

Title: Superboy-Prime and Spider-Man in “Pages”
Writer: Christopher Priest
Art: Daniel Sampere

I really wasn’t sure what to expect out of this pairing. We’ve often seen Superboy-Prime using his knowledge of DC Comics (coming from a universe where those are all fictional) to navigate his world on more than one occasion. Christopher Priest here supposes that if DC Comics are fictional to Prime, it stands to reason that Marvel is too. (And I suppose every other publisher, by extension, but let’s just stick to Marvel now.) Prime uses his ability to travel the Multiverse to move back in time to a point in Marvel’s history shortly after Peter Parker got rid of his symbiote costume, when he was wearing a black suit made out of traditional fabric, and the confrontation between the two of them seems to unlock something in the boy.

Prime has been on something of a redemption arc in the comics as of late. This story actually feels like it could be the beginning of that, as if it logically should take place prior to his appearance in recent issues of DC KO. I have to admit, for a kid who modeled himself on Superman and stumbled so badly, I kind of like the idea of an encounter with Spider-Man being the thing that sets him back on the right path.

Title: Superboy and Spider-Man 2099 in “Beyond the Cobwebs of Tomorrow”
Writer & Artist: Sean Murphy

Miguel O’Hara, Spider-Man 2099, is on the run. I know, what else is new? But as he flees from the authorities, we realize that he’s not in the 2099 that we’re used to, not exactly, and that idea is driven home even harder by the sudden appearance of a time-tossed Superboy and a special guest star. As our heroes compare notes, they come to realize the real threat they face and…

…and that’s it. The story ends with the team-up forged and our heroes barrelling off to take care of business. But the problem is, that isn’t really a story. This is, if anything, the first CHAPTER of a story, and an incomplete chapter at that. I get that these backups have a pretty limited number of pages, but this whole sequence comes across as a tease of something that I really want to read. Teasers are only fun, though, if what’s being teased eventually reaches you to be read. Despite a fun team-up and some well-executed pages, this is the first story in the book that I feel is a little bit of a letdown.

Title: Jimmy Olsen and Carnage in “Jimmy Con Carnage”
Writer: Matt Fraction
Art: Steve Lieber

Fraction and Lieber, the creative team behind the Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen miniseries from a few years back, reunite for the wildest pairing in this book. Jimmy’s meandering has led him to leave Metropolis for New York and get a job as the newest photographer for the Daily Bugle. And like ALL Bugle photographers learn, J. Jonah Jameson has one edict: PICTURES OF SPIDER-MAN. The only problem is that new-to-town Jimmy doesn’t even know what Spider-Man looks like. Doesn’t even know about the hyphen.

I know these stories are out of continuity, but it’s crazy what they allow Fraction to get away with in this one. It’s crazy, for instance, that Jimmy somehow has never seen one of Peter Parker’s 17 million photographs of Spider-Man. It’s crazy that he thinks Carnage matches the description. It’s crazy the significance that a hyphen plays in this story. It’s hilarious and ridiculous in all the ways that Jimmy’s solo series was, although with a bit more finality.

Title: Jonathan Kent and Ben Parker in “The Bridge”
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Art: Rafa Sandoval

This story (another one that feels like it belongs in this combined world) is a quick snapshot, Jeff Lemire bringing us a sweet glimpse at the adoptive fathers of our two heroes. A chance meeting, many years ago, brings Ben Parker to Smallville, Kansas just as a massive rainstorm threatens people in town, and Lemire shows us the kind of steel that forged Clark and Peter into the men that they are. Nothing particularly surprising in this one, just a good, simple encounter that feels like a minor but welcome detail in this strange world that they’re building.

Title: Bias
Writer: Greg Rucka
Art: Nicola Scott

This one, too, feels like a little snapshot. Jack Ryder’s program has a pair of special guests, Lois Lane and Jonah Jameson, on the air debating the concept of media bias. Lois calls Jonah out on his anti-Spider-Man stance, and Jonah responds.

There’s not much else to say about this one, honestly. Like the Lemire story, it feels like a detail added in to populate the world. I appreciate how well Rucka casts each of these characters, up to and including Jonah’s defense for his position on our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler. But it’s again just a tidbit, a nugget of something more.

Title: Power Girl and the Punisher in “Blind Date”
Writer: Gail Simone
Art: Belen Ortega

Of all the pairings in the book, this one may seem the most random, until you remember that both of these characters were created by Gerry Conway, and it seems that Simone thought it would be fun to pay tribute to that. She was, of course, correct about that. In this story, Karen Starr is on her way to a blind date with – well – perhaps the most hated Marvel character of the past half-decade or so. It’s just her bad luck that the restaurant where she’s meeting him happens to be full of criminals that have been targeted by Frank Castle.

As unusual as the team-up is, Simone handles it with her usual humor and charm. Somehow she structures the story in a way that brings them together organically, while still dropping in plenty of meta-commentary about the characters and playing with who they are and just how deeply different they are, while at the same time, having more than a little in common. This may be the most unexpectedly fun story in the book.

Look, I’m not going to pretend that I’m a hard sell. This is a comic book focusing on two of my favorite characters and an all-star collection of creators. It’s a load of fun and it feels oddly as though it’s being used to build towards something larger. (I’m probably wrong about that. I hope I’m not.) At any rate, it was well worth the price, and I can’t wait for Marvel’s half to come in April.

Blake M. Petit is a writer, teacher, and dad from Ama, Louisiana. His most recent writing project is the superhero adventure series Other People’s Heroes: Little Stars, volume one of which is now available on Amazon. Don’t forget, you can check out earlier blogs in the Year of Superman/Superman Stuff Archive! Got a request for a future “Superman Stuff”? Drop it in the comments!

Superman Stuff #12: Reviews for March 4-18!

March 25, 2026 blakemp Superman Stuff Absolute Superman, Action Comics, Batman, Black Flame, Boy Thunder, Brainiac, Conner Kent, Crime Syndicate, Dan Mora, Dan Slott, Darkseid, DC Comics, DC KO, Hawkman, Hourman, Jason Aaron, Javi Fernandez, Jon Kent, Joshua Williamson, Juan Ferreyra, Kandor, Lesla-Lar, Lex Luthor, Lucas Meyer, Marcus To, Mark Russell, Mark Waid, Master Txyz, New Titans, Nightwing, Parasite, Rafa Sandoval, Reign of the Superboys, Sami Basri, Scott Snyder, Skylar Partridge, Sophie Campbell, Superboy, Supergirl, superman, Superman Unlimited, Tamara Bonvillain, Tate Brombal, Tomorrow Man, Ultraman, World's Finest, Xermanico

Geek Punditry #167: Mish, Mash, Consolidation’s a Smash

March 20, 2026 blakemp Geek Punditry 20th Century Fox, Batman, DC Comics, DC Studios, Disney, HBO Max, IDW Publishing, Looney Tunes, Lucasfilm, Marvel Comics, netflix, Nickelodeon, Paramount, Paramount Plus, pluto tv, SpongeBob SquarePants, Star Trek, star wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, uncle scrooge, Warner Bros

The bidding war is over, and after a protracted tussle over the fate of the grand old movie studio called Warner Bros, the winner – shockingly – seems to be Paramount. Over the last few months we’ve watched as Warner Bros, which of course has expanded far beyond being a movie studio to being a full-blown media empire, was put on the market. We saw it get snapped up by Netflix, we saw as Paramount entered the game with a hostile takeover bid, and we saw them continue to sweeten the pot until Netflix stepped back and threw in the towel. And now, pending government approval and all sorts of other rigamarole that will tie things up for a while, it seems as though Warner Bros will become another star on the Paramount mountain.

Feelings about this are…complicated, to say the least. Generally speaking I’m not a fan of the massive media consolidation we’ve borne witness to this century. Fewer players in the game means less competition, and fewer outlets for fewer voices. And sure, we live in an era where anybody can theoretically build an audience and a following using social media, but in practice, the big companies are always going to have an edge. Even when a new player comes along – an A24, for example – they’re going to have an uphill battle when it comes to staying relevant next to the likes of Disney, Sony, and whatever this new Paramount/WB hybrid will be called once it’s all over.

That said, if it HAD to be between Netflix and Paramount, Paramount is the company I feel will be better for people who want movie theaters to survive, no matter what Netflix claimed. And if it’s happening whether we like it or not, I’m not in the mood to debate it. I would rather talk about what’s going to happen when the properties of these two corporate monoliths are under one roof.

What’s going to happen when Warner Bros – the company that owns DC Comics, DC Studios, the Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera, Harry Potter, and countless other properties – is folded under the umbrella of the company that controls CBS, Star Trek, Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? This is going to be mostly speculation, of course – I’m the first to admit that I don’t know anything. But I’m going to throw out some ideas and discuss some concerns about what’s going to happen. And keep in mind that all of this is dependent on how long it takes for the deal to be complete, as well as how long it takes for existing licenses and deals to expire, so I can’t really put a specific timeline on any of this.

“Let’s call it PARAMAX.”
“For the last time, Curtis, NO.”

One thing we CAN be sure of is that there’s going to be a change in the respective streaming services. Paramount has already indicated that eventually they intend to fold HBO Max into their existing Paramount+. When this happens, one can only hope they don’t decide to double the price on whatever the remaining service will be. Furthermore, I really hope that they use the technology behind HBO Max, because of all the major streamers I’ve used I’ve found Paramount+ to be the buggiest and most annoying. Honestly, if I didn’t love Star Trek so darned much I would have abandoned it entirely.

What content will there be, though? Warner Bros has had a terribly frustrating habit of sending out some of their properties, including movies and TV shows that were once on HBO Max, to other streamers like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and most recently Tubi (which picked up a gargantuan selection of WB cartoons). I would like to believe that Paramount would be smarter with its properties than Warner Bros was, but I would be kidding myself. Remember, Paramount+ was launched (originally as CBS All-Access) with the promise that it would be the home for everything Star Trek. Then they cancelled Prodigy after one season and Netflix saved season two, but now that deal has expired and it can’t be found anywhere. What I’m getting at is that both of these companies can be pretty boneheaded about what to do with their legendary properties, so having a singular service – whatever form it winds up taking – will be no guarantee that you can find everything you want under one roof.

Over in the Comic Book Collecting group I help moderate on Facebook, a user asked if we thought that the Ninja Turtles – now that they’re corporate siblings – would be added to the DC Universe. This is something I find particularly unlikely. Although DC has a proud and storied history of absorbing the superhero characters of other defunct publishers that they’ve purchased, the Ninja Turtles are too valuable an intellectual property in their own right to make them part of a different one. It’s the same reason that Disney never made Anna and Elsa from Frozen an official part of the Disney Princesses merchandise line – they make too dang much money on their own to mash them together with everybody else.

That said, although I do not foresee a future in which Donatello becomes the new leader of the Teen Titans or anything, I think that being under the same corporate umbrella will make crossovers easier and more likely. It’s happened before. The Turtles have had four separate comic book crossovers with Batman, one of which was adapted into an animated movie, and they’ve freely crossed over with dozens of other properties over the years – Ghostbusters, Strangers Things, Masters of the Universe, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Naruto, and that’s just off the top of my head. Having them cross paths with the Justice League is in no way out of the question. Heck, having them cross paths with Bugs Bunny isn’t out of the question.

“Dude, our dad is like, a bat without wings! We could be cousins!”

Just because I don’t think the Turtles will be part of the DCU, though, that still raises the question of who is going to publish them. The Turtles have been licensed to IDW Publishing for many years now. So have other Paramount properties, most prominently Star Trek. And just last year, IDW launched a new IDW Dark line of horror comics, including several series based on Paramount properties such as The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon, A Quiet Place, and Smile. I don’t know exactly how long those contracts have left, but once Paramount owns one of the Big Two comic book publishers, will they really want to continue licensing their properties to one of the…Fluffy Five? I need better nicknames.

It’s possible that Paramount would move the comic book licenses for their properties over to DC, but it’s by no means certain. After all, DC hasn’t done a ton of licensed comics in recent years, aside from the occasional crossover or a book based on one of their current corporate siblings. They’ve published Star Trek before, of course, but that was nearly 30 years ago, and there hasn’t been any indication that they would be interested in doing so again. And even now WB properties have had recent comics published by companies other than DC, such as Cartoon Network comics published by IDW or the current Space Ghost and Herculoids comics produced by Dynamite.

And recent comic book history has made it quite clear that sharing a parent company isn’t necessarily a guarantee of comic book consolidation. When Disney bought Marvel Comics in 2009, they ended the Disney Comics license that Boom! Studios had. Then when they bought Lucasfilm in 2012, they pulled back the Star Wars license from Dark Horse and gave it to Marvel. They did the same with Aliens and Predator when they bought 20th Century Fox. But although Marvel has produced a lot of Star Wars, Alien, and Predator comics, Disney has ALSO licensed Star Wars out to other publishers again, first IDW, and then back to Dark Horse, with their respective series co-existing with the Marvel books. Marvel has also done precious little with the classic Disney characters – a few What If? one-shots mashing Mickey Mouse and friends with Marvel superheroes, and a few Uncle Scrooge comics. But at the same time, Disney kept farming those characters to other publishers as well. Dynamite currently has the license to Disney Afternoon books like DuckTales, Darkwing Duck, and Gargoyles, as well as other properties like Lilo and Stitch, Disney Villains, and – most recently – the Muppets. As for the classic Disney comics, after being moved to IDW (they are in this licensing mix a LOT), they vanished for a few years, only to come back last year at Fantagraphics. In fact, last fall I walked into my comic book shop and bought new comic books starring Scrooge McDuck from three different publishers at the same time.

I guess that made Fantagraphics, Dynamite, and Marvel the Three Scrooges. Ah? AAAAAAAH?

The melding is far from certain, is what I’m getting at.

What about some of the other properties the different companies hold? How will they be affected? Paramount+ isn’t the only streamer they own, they’re also the controlling company of what is possibly my favorite streaming app, Pluto TV. Pluto has on-demand content, but it also has 24/7 channels dedicated to dozens – perhaps hundreds – of individual shows and genres, most of them owned by Paramount: channels dedicated to Star Trek, I Love Lucy, classic sitcoms, game shows, and tons of other things. Not everything on Pluto is owned by Paramount (they also have channels dedicated to Mystery Science Theater 3000, RiffTrax, and the Universal Monsters, for instance), but I don’t think you can currently find any WB properties there. Could we see channels with all-day streams of the Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Babylon 5, DC Cartoons or the live-action DC superhero shows? I have to admit, of all the theories I’m throwing around, this is probably the one I feel most likely to happen in the near future. It just seems very much like the kind of thing Paramount is likely to do. Although – like everything else – how SOON it might happen would depend largely on the current licensing deals they have in place, what rights exactly those existing deals entail, and when they expire.

If all of this sounds confusing…well, that’s because it is. The merger of two of the biggest media companies in the world is an enormous endeavor, something with so many moving parts that I can’t even wrap my head around it. And we just don’t know how it’s all going to shake out in the end.

Blake M. Petit is a writer, teacher, and dad from Ama, Louisiana. His most recent writing project is the superhero adventure series Other People’s Heroes: Little Stars, volume one of which is now available on Amazon. He’s also started putting his LitReel videos on TikTok. He kind of likes the idea of a SpongeBob/Animaniacs crossover where Squidward just rapidly loses his mind over the Warner Brothers and the Warner Sister.

Superman Stuff #10: Supergirl: Wings

March 11, 2026March 10, 2026 blakemp Superman Stuff DC Comics, Elseworlds, J.M. DeMatteis, Jamie Tolagson, Supergirl, Zauriel

Obviously, I decided against doing a full-on “Year of Supergirl,” because I’m smart enough not to subject myself to that kind of regimented schedule twice. That said, with Kara’s movie coming out in just a few short months, I do intend to start peppering my regular reading with more of her stories more often, and for this week’s “Superman Stuff” I decided to revisit the 2001 Elseworlds one-shot Supergirl: Wings, written by J.M. DeMatteis with art (including a lovely cover painting) by Jamie Tolagson.

This book seems to be inspired by the late, legendary Peter David’s run on Supergirl, in which the Matrix version of the character sacrifices herself to save a young woman who was seemingly beyond redemption, an act of selflessness which bonds the two of them together into a spiritual being that David calls an “Earth-Bound Angel.” Wings removes the “Earth-Bound” part of that, starting with a multitude of the Heavenly Host, the “Shining Ones,” looking down upon the poor, struggling humans. Two of those Shining Ones include Matrix and Zauriel (the angel from Grant Morrison’s JLA run).

Matrix is an Amenlee, one of the angels tasked with caring for human souls. But Matrix has become disenchanted with humanity, put off by our more negative qualities, and finds herself struggling to find herself – especially in her dealings with a woman named Linda Danvers, who has lost her own Guardian Angel and seems to be spiraling down a dark path. The story of this Elseworlds is actually pretty close to what David wrote in the mainstream Supergirl comic of the era, honestly. What sets it apart and makes it an Elseworlds is that DeMatteis leans more heavily on the spiritual side, more so than even David did. It’s odd to see a mainstream comic book that wades this heavily into matters of faith, with elements that are reflective of both Christian and pagan practices that all come together into a bizarre tapestry that includes the likes of the Spectre, the Phantom Stranger, Aquaman, and a very different Clark Kent.

DeMatteis does a lot of exploration in this book, delving not only into questions of the soul, but also about the search for self. Early in the story, Matrix bemoans the fact that – unlike humans – the angels such as herself have no free will and are only tasked with carrying out the will of the Presence (or God, as they sometimes call “hir”). But that doesn’t really track, does it? If she truly had no free will, how would she flirt with rebellion, how could she contemplate abandoning her post and abandoning humanity at all? Despite what she says, the Angels’ lot is painted less like that of people with NO free will and more like people with limited options, struggling to content themselves with the task appointed to them. The metaphor is heavy and, despite being no angels ourselves, it’s not hard to sympathize with Matrix as she explores just how trapped he has come to feel with her role in the universe.

Tolagson’s artwork is really perfect for this series, a style that evokes the likes of Mike Mignola, leaning on the fantasy elements and downplaying any trace of the superhero. Some pages call to mind the likes of Sandman or Fables, while others seem to be pulled from books like The Demon or Books of Magic.

Were this to be published today, it would probably be part of the Black Label line. It doesn’t have any overt R-rated elements (no sex, no language, relatively minor instances of violence), but the concepts and the themes brought to the page are extremely heavy and far deeper than your standard superhero book. It’s an interesting companion to David’s Supergirl, and a story that ultimately lands on a place that feels hopeful and uplifting. Matrix’s story feels familiar, not only like it’s something that we’ve seen on the page before, but like it’s something so many of us have lived through at one point or another. It’s a very different kind of story, and all the more remarkable for it.

I’m definitely going to spend more time with Supergirl this year – part of me even wants to do a whole-series read of the David run, but I don’t know if I can spare that kind of time. But for a taste of a very different look at Supergirl, this is an intriguing sample.

By the way, folks, I’m always open for requests. If there’s a specific comic book, TV episode, animated feature, or anything else regarding Superman or his extended family that you’d like me to discuss in this space, just let me know.

Geek Punditry #165: I Like What I Like

March 6, 2026March 5, 2026 blakemp Geek Punditry DC Comics, DC KO, Miracle on Ice, Miracle: The Boys of '80, Olympics, Pluribus, Rhea Seehorn, superman, Vince Gilligan

Last week, for the first time in the three years since I started writing these “Geek Punditry” blogs, I missed a post, but I think you’ll forgive the reason. Thursday, while I was still brainstorming possible topics for pop culture effluvia to talk about, I got a phone call from my father to tell me my grandmother had passed away. It wasn’t a shock – she was 94 years old, after all – but just because something isn’t surprising doesn’t mean it isn’t painful. My grandmother was one of the most important people in my life, and I’m sure you’ll understand why I just wasn’t in the right headspace to go into some sort of lighthearted analysis over an episode of SpongeBob or something the next day.

I’m still not in that headspace, not really. On the day you read this we’ll be having her funeral and saying goodbye, and I’m still not in the mood to do any serious kind of dissection of the kind of stuff I usually write about here. But I didn’t want to go another week without a Geek Punditry, so I decided instead I would just spend this week’s post talking about a few things I’ve read or watched recently that I enjoyed. These are just short, capsule recommendations for pieces of media that have pleased me in some way, and that’s really the reason I started this feature in the first place. I wanted to talk about the things that I love and share them with other people.

So here we are, just a few short suggestions for things to watch or read.

DC KO

DC Comics’ latest crossover event (they have so, so many, the Big Two publishers) ended this week, and it ended in a spectacular fashion. In DC KO, the Justice League discovered that Darkseid – who had been presumed dead since 2024’s DC All In Special – was not, in fact, dead, but coming back more powerful than ever. The only way to stop him would be for one of them to claim the Heart of Apokalips, a powerful, sentient artifact that has been supercharged with Darkseid’s “Omega Energy.” Claiming the artifact would give the holder the power of the “King Omega,” and make them a match for Darkseid, capable of resetting the universe as they see fit. In order to claim the power, though, the heroes would have to prove themselves worthy of it by fighting one another in a tournament across the entire multiverse. And it gets even worse when the villains get wind of the plan and worm their way into the tournament as well.

The premise – and I’ll be the first one to admit it – is absolutely preposterous. It sounds like the setup for a video game or the kind of story a kid whips up in the backyard as an excuse to have all of his toys fight each other. It’s an excuse for huge, over-the-top fight scenes pitting hero and against hero (and occasionally villain), to transform our characters into variants of themselves from other parts of the multiverse, and to give them new, temporary costumes that will look really dandy as action figures and other merch. There was even a one-shot spinoff where they fought characters from OUTSIDE of the DC Universe, including Red Sonja, Vampirella, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Homelander from The Boys. It was an enormous, bloated, insane cash grab.

And damned if I didn’t love every minute of it.

For one thing, superhero fans love a good fight scene. It’s just inherent in the genre. And having the heroes fight one another is the kind of thing that fans like to bicker and debate – who would win in a fight between the Flash and Green Lantern, for example. But to explain why friends and teammates would fight one another usually requires some sort of contrived coincidence, mistaken identity, mind control, or other overused trope. DC KO bypasses all that and makes the contrivance the whole plot, and somehow, that made all the difference. Why would Green Lantern fight the Flash? Because they know that the only way to save the universe is for ONE of the heroes to beat all the others in a fight, so they’ve gotta give it their best.

But it didn’t stop there. Although KO was structured as a series of fight scenes, the writers still managed to do some excellent character work. There was a series of one-off issues in December featuring some of the marquee matchups: Superman Vs. Captain Atom, Harley Quinn Vs. Zatanna, Cyborg Vs. Swamp Thing, and perhaps the most personal of them all, Red Hood Vs. the Joker, the man who killed him that one time. And in each of these issues, the fights and the choices the characters made delved into who they really were and what they really wanted. Was it an excuse to see Superman and Captain Atom throwing down in a way that they usually don’t do, needing to hold back in fear of annihilating a city or something? Absolutely. Did it say something real, important, and powerful about who Superman is as a character? Dang right.

The series ended this week in a way that I found quite satisfying as well, taking a step towards meta-commentary about what the DC Universe actually is and where its soul comes from. And people who know how I feel about the DC heroes will not at all be surprised that I loved the conclusion this story drew. I felt great about what I read, and I’m looking forward to the next act of the larger story DC is telling (of which KO is, evidently, the end of Act I).

Pluribus

I know I’m behind on this one, but in my defense, I don’t have Apple TV+. I do, however, have a friend who has given me access to his Plex server, and he’s got Pluribus on his system, which means that I get to watch the newest show by Vince Gilligan, the man behind a couple of shows called Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. I’m four episodes in to the nine-episode first season, so I’ve still got a ways to go, but I’ve seen enough to be confident in saying that Vince Gilligan has got to stop hoarding all the awesome, because it’s not fair that one man gets to create one of the best shows on television THREE TIMES IN A ROW.

I’m not going to say very much about the story of this show. I think it’s the kind of thing that works best if you don’t really know much going in and just let the surprises hit you one at a time. In fact, prior to watching the show all I knew was:

The show is science fiction (and although he’s best known for crime dramas, don’t forget that Gilligan cut his teeth in the industry as a writer for The X-Files)
It stars Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn in the lead role (and she is FANTASTIC)
Gilligan made some statements about how much generative AI sucks while promoting the show (which has turned out to have some thematic resonance, but nothing plot-relevant, at least not as of episode four)

Although it is sci-fi, Pluribus has a lot of the same DNA as Gilligan’s other two acclaimed series. The shows are all about deeply damaged people who are pushed into a situation that quickly grows out of their control and they’re forced to make morally questionable choices for the sake of survival. Tonally, I think it’s similar as well. Although Pluribus is probably the most serious of the three series, it still has a lot of moments of dark comedy that help you make your way through it.

Basically, if you like what Vince Gilligan has done so far, you’re going to like this too.

Miracle: The Boys of ‘80

I am, as most people who know me will tell you, a total sucker for the Olympics. I love the games, and I spent the better part of two weeks recently absorbed in the snow and ice of lovely Milan and Cortina, rooting for Team USA. And to feed the hunger for people like myself, Netflix recently dropped a new documentary, Miracle: The Boys of ‘80. This film is all about the 1980 US Olympic hockey team and the journey that led to the moment called “the Miracle on Ice,” when they managed to defeat the highly-favored Soviet Union in the semifinal round of the games.

The Miracle on Ice is a story that, of course, has been told many times. This isn’t the first documentary about it, and Disney even made a narrative film about it starring Kurt Russell, Miracle, that was pretty good. But this particular film tells the story through the eyes of the players and people involved, mostly through interviews with them as they detailed the path they took from the inception of the team – a ragtag band of underdogs that couldn’t have been more dramatic if they’d been hired by a studio casting director – all the way through the games. I recently made one of my “LitReels” about the concept of sports as storytelling. I think the reason that sports are so important to a lot of people are because they are, in fact, stories that we attach ourselves to, as much as any book, TV show, movie series – even history and religion are important to us (I believe) because of their value as the stories that we internalize. This is a fine documentary that does a fine job in telling one of the greatest stories in the history of American sports.

There you go, friends, a few things to dig into between now and next Friday. Hopefully by then I’ll be a little more coherent, a little more capable of finding a topic to do a deep dive. Until then, be good to each other, and let the people you love know it.

Blake M. Petit is a writer, teacher, and dad from Ama, Louisiana. His most recent writing project is the superhero adventure series Other People’s Heroes: Little Stars, volume one of which is now available on Amazon. You can subscribe to his newsletter by clicking right here. He’s also started putting his LitReel videos on TikTok.

Superman Stuff #9: Reviews From Feb. 11-25

March 4, 2026March 3, 2026 blakemp Superman Stuff Absolute Superman, Action Comics, Adventures of Superman, Batman, Booster Gold, Carlo Pagulayan, Dan Slott, Darkseid, Dave Johnson, DC Comics, DC KO, Diego Olortegui, Doomsday, Eber Ferreira, Eddy Barrows, Edwin Galmon, Fico Ossio, Jason Paz, Javi Fernandez, Joe Quinones, Joseph P. Illidge, Joshua Williamson, Julio Ferreira, Lena Luthor, Lois Lane, Marcus To, Mark Waid, Milestone Comics, Morgan Hampton, New History of the DC Universe, Nikolas Draper-Ivey, Owlman, Patricio Delpeche, Pete Ross, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Prankster, Red Son, Ryan Sook, Scott Godlewski, Scott Snyder, Sophie Campbell, Starchild, Static, Stephanie Williams, Stephen Segovia, Superboy, Superboy-Prime, Supergirl, superman, Superman Unlimited, Tim Trapper, Ultraman, Valentine De Landro, Wonder Woman, World's Finest, Xermacio

Once again, it’s time to look into the reviews of some of the Superman-related comics that have dropped in the last few weeks, including some pretty massive events. Let’s get right to it.

DC KO #4
Title: Trial By Absolute
Writers: Scott Snyder & Joshua Williamson
Art: Javi Fernandez & Xermancio
Main Cover: Javi Fernandez

The Final Four have made their way through all comers, but before they can turn their attention to one another, four new combatants have entered the fray. Tainted by the energy of Darkseid, the combatants will be forced to fight the Absolute Universe versions of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman – as well as Booster Gold who has been possessed by Darkseid himself.

This event has promised us one throwdown after another, and there’s no way to argue that it hasn’t lived up to that promise. This issue is perhaps the most high-octane, brutal battle yet. The fight between the four remaining heroes and villains with their Absolute counterparts is scripted and drawn with incredible energy and brutality, but at the same time, Scott Snyder has not skimped at all when it comes to character and story. In fact, there are multiple twists in this issue that catch you off-guard and send the story spinning into new, unexpected directions. At the same time, the twists all fit the characters – a great twist is one that is a surprise without violating what you already know about the world you’re reading, and Snyder pulls that off.

For people who are into Superman (know anybody like that?) seeing “our” Superman face off against the Absolute Kal-El is one of the high points of the issue. Neither character is disrespected or nerfed in respect to the other, but there’s also no room for any doubt as to which of the two is the original. I am slightly disappointed at just how the Absolute characters were used, however. Similar to the surprise guest stars from the Boss Battle one-shot, the Absolute heroes are in and out rather quickly. It’s not even clear as to when, exactly, this story takes place in the Absolute timeline – Superman seems to know Batman here, whereas in their respective comics, they haven’t met yet. Although there’s definite promise here for future brushes between the two worlds, it feels like this encounter will mostly be a footnote for the Absolute characters, even as it sets up the conclusion for the Final Four.

I know I’m being deliberately vague here, by the way – I suppose it’s clear that Superman is one of the Final Four (as it should be) but I’m trying to avoid spelling out who else is in that group in case anyone is trying to remain spoiler-free. Considering just how this one ends, though, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep that up for the finale. So if you’re reading along with these reviews, I would highly recommend being up-to-date with DC KO when I drop my thoughts on issue five. Whenever that might be.

Superman Unlimited #10
Title: Die Laughing Part Two
Writer: Dan Slott
Art: Mike Norton
Main Cover: Dave Johnson

Intergang has set its sights on Metropolis’s new mayor, Perry White, and they’ve contracted the Prankster to take care of the problem. But Oswald Loomis’s nephew is trying to step into his uncle’s role and take over the family business, and the NEW Prankster isn’t quite as funny as his predecessor.

This is a solid issue. There’s something up with this new Prankster – in these two issues he’s appeared we never find out his real name, and there’s no explanation for his bizarre powers, something Uncle Oswald has never had. I feel like this is just part of a coming, larger story, even as these two issues work perfectly well as a couplet. I also like how a big part of the middle of this story isn’t about the power of Superman, but rather the investigative skills of Clark Kent. Not to say that Superman is entirely absent, but we see more Clark than we often do these days, and I appreciate that.

We also get a quick interlude with Jon, who’s been setting up the new Daily Planet office in Smallville, only to get an ominous warning from an unexpected source. Even more so than the Prankster stuff, this is explicitly setup, especially since DC has revealed their “Reign of the Superboys” initiative that’s going through all of the Super-titles after DC KO ends. If you didn’t know, Jonathan is going to take the reigns of this title for an indeterminate amount of time, and it looks like the groundwork is being laid here.

I’m still really digging Mike Norton’s Superman. I love the way his character works, with the kind of strong lines and clean character work that made so many of the Triangle Era artists stand out, and I hope we see more and more Superman from him in the future.

Superman #35
Title: Life Secrets (A DC KO Tie-In)
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Art: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Julio Ferreira
Main Cover: Dan Mora

The final instalment of this title’s DC KO storyline runs with the conclusion of issue #4 and leads straight into #5. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of the storylines that’s been going through this book turns out to be crucial to the conclusion of the crossover. But that’s not the one that works best.

We’re following two intertwined threads here. First, the Doomsday/Time Trapper is reeling from the events of issue #4 and trying to gird himself for what must come next. After all, at least part of him is the creature that was created eons ago for the express purpose of destroying Darkseid, and it may be time for that charge to finally come due. Meanwhile, Lois and Superboy-Prime continue their faceoff with Darkseid’s Legion, and it is this latter part that is particularly revelatory.

From the moment he was introduced in this title, we’ve been building a redemption arc for Prime, and it gets center stage in this issue, where he is faced with choices that he’s made before and is given an opportunity to make better choices this time. I’m not in the business of giving out spoilers, but it should be pointed out that when “Reign of the Superboys” takes over the Superman titles next month, DC has revealed that Prime is going to be the start of this title for the time being.

There’s also a great face-off between Lois and Darkseid’s Saturn Girl. Just like prime, this series has hinted that the dark Legion may not be completely beyond hope, and that hope spot is further explored this month. I’m really anxious for the final issue of the crossover to drop…which I guess will be today as you read this. Holy cats, why are you reading this blog instead of DC KO #5? Have you lost your senses?

Action Comics #1095
Title: Pressure
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Patricio Delpeche
Main Cover: Ryan Sook

The adventures of Superboy in Action Comics continue, although Clark actually takes a back seat this issue. Last month, on a camping trip, Pete Ross happened to spy Clark Kent going into action as Superboy. This issue is Pete’s story, as he struggles with this knowledge and wrestles with whether to confront Clark with what he has learned – and ask why his best friend would ever keep such a secret.

I adored this issue. Mark Waid, human comic book encyclopedia that he is, is doing a phenomenal job of mining the classic tales of Superboy to bring the drama to this series. In the Silver Age this was the status quo – Pete knew that Clark was Superboy (even learned it the same way as he did in Waid’s story, if I’m not mistaken) and chose to keep that knowledge to himself. But as was so often the case with those Silver Age tales, there wasn’t an awful lot of thought given to the implications of this sort of thing. How would Pete feel about learning his best friend was keeping such a gargantuan secret? Doesn’t Clark know that he can trust him? Does anybody else know? And why would Pete choose to keep what he’s learned to himself instead of talking to Clark about it?

The answer to that last question is because it was the Silver Age, and if anybody in a Silver Age DC story had the ability to have a rational adult conversation about anything 95 percent of the stories would have ended on the second page. But Waid actually finds a way to justify Pete’s actions, draping his decision in a metaphor for a real-world issue and presenting it in such a way that makes perfect sense and somehow makes all of the characters – Pete, Clark, even Lana Lang – come across as behaving in a mature, emotionally intelligent way. How often could you say that back in the 50s?

Supergirl #10
Title: My Bloody Valentine
Writer: Sophie Campbell
Art: Joe Quinones
Main Cover: Sophie Campbell

It’s Valentine’s Day, and Kara has a date with the mysterious, long-haired, tattooed boy of her dreams. Her friends Lena and Luna, however, are following along, sensing something is amiss.

After last issue’s slight misstep, this one is more of what I’ve come to enjoy about this series. The “date” is mostly a setup for this issue’s fight scene, but Campbell isn’t having a fight just for the sake of a fight. In the midst of battle we get some good character moments and the ongoing storyline of Kara and her friends (particularly Lena Luthor, in this case) continues nicely. Lena made a mistake in the last issue for which she’s trying to mend fences, and while this issue doesn’t patch everything up in a neat little bow, it also doesn’t cause some insurmountable gap between the friends like books that lean on melodrama are wont to do. Kara and Lena both some some real emotional maturity here, which is particularly funny when juxtaposed against the “date” scene, which works mostly as a parody of gooey Silver Age romance comics tropes.

I have to point out, though, that the recent run of holiday issues is starting to strain credulity a little bit. Literally half the issues of this series have been holiday stories at this point (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and now Valentine’s Day) and while comic book time is naturally elastic, it does have its limits. As this issue begins, Lena and Luna are going to visit Kara on Valentine’s Day to try to make up for their screwup at the New Year’s Eve party – so it’s been six weeks since they spoke to one another? Nobody has made any effort to patch things up before now? I’m willing to forgive, because this really is a great book, but I’m crossing my fingers that next issue’s story (part of the “Reign of the Superboys” initiative) won’t be a visit to show us how they celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Kandor.

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #48
Title: Day For Night Part One
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Marcus To
Main Cover: Dan Mora

Once again, Mark Waid has been let loose in his favorite playground, the DC Universe. In this issue we leave behind our pals Superman and Batman and instead visit their arch Earth-3 counterparts, Ultraman and Owlman, as they begin plans to expand their Crime Syndicate to unprecedented levels, with world conquest as their goal.

Waid is building out Earth-3 quite a bit here, introducing versions of DC heroes that I’m pretty sure have never showed up in a Crime Syndicate story before (although I could potentially be wrong about that – I’m certainly not the walking encyclopedia of comic book knowledge that Waid is). There’s a particularly amusing sequence that really puts the relationship between Owlman and Talon (his Robin analogue) into focus. All of it works up to a nice last-page surprise that seems poised to set up the rest of this arc. As per usual, I’m very excited to see where this is going to go next.

Adventures of Superman: Book of El #6
Title: The Warworld Engines
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art: Scott Godlewski
Main Cover: Scott Godlewski

This issue we at last return to Otho-Ra and Osul-Ra, Superman’s adopted children, who disappeared back in the first issue after Superman was abducted to the future. We also come across another clan wearing Superman-like sigils, while our hero is battered and beaten down.

I’m trying, guys, I REALLY am trying to get interested in this book, but it’s just not working. Having left behind the Green Lantern stuff (although future covers seem to indicate we’re not done with it yet), we’ve gotten back to Superman vs. Warworld, which was an era of Action Comics that, if I’m being honest, bored me stiff. Despite his power, “cosmic” Superman stories rarely work for me. The character is all about heart and how he deals with people, and throwing him into deep space against all-powerful entities and sci-fi clans that think he’s just a legend…it’s too far from the things that make me keep reading Superman comic books. It just isn’t connecting with me, no matter how much I wish it was.

New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident #1
Writers: Joseph P. Illidge, Stephanie Williams, Morgan Hampton, & Nikolas Draper-Ivey
Art: Valentine De Landro, Carlo Pagulayan, Stephen Segovia, Jason Paz, Fico Ossio, & Edwin Galmon
Main Cover: Diego Olortegui

Strictly speaking, I don’t feel obligated to review this book the way I do many of the other Superman appearances. He shows up in this book, but his appearance is brief and it’s not his story. That said, I liked this book quite a lot and I wanted to talk about it and it’s my own blog – dammit – so I’m gonna write about this if I want to.

Spinning out of last year’s fantastic New History of the DC Universe miniseries is this one-shot focusing on the heroes of the Milestone universe. As the previous NHOTDCU explained, the Milestone heroes (versions that are fairly close to their original incarnations from the 90s) have always existed in the current incarnation of the DC Universe, but they all vanished from the public eye after something referred to as the “Dakota Incident.” This issue delves into their history, showing the reader just how they fit into the DCU, and the events of the incident that led to their departure.

I’m impressed at how relatively easily they worked the characters into the DC Universe while still keeping their original stories mostly intact. There is one element that’s added to link the origins of many of the Milestone heroes to the DC Universe proper, but that addition doesn’t really change anything about who they are or how their adventures unfolded back then. The issue also places a heavy emphasis on Static, holding him up as perhaps the most significant of these characters. That makes sense – he’s certainly the most well-known and popular Milestone character among the general public (by virtue of his old cartoon show if nothing else), but it also fits with the character of Virgil Hawkins very well.

For fans of these characters, especially the original versions, this issue serves very well to integrate them into the DC Universe, explain their absence, and – most importantly – set the stage for their return. It’s already been teased in various places, not the least of which is the last page of this issue, and I am very much looking forward to seeing the heroes of Dakota rise again.

Superman Stuff #8: Digital MIA

February 25, 2026February 24, 2026 blakemp Superman Stuff Action Comics, DC Comics, dc universe infinite, Digital Comics, superman

Sometimes people ask me, “Blake, have you read every Superman story there is?” And I smile and laugh because I can totally understand why they might think such a thing. I’ve got a whole shelf of Superman toys and knicknacks, I own approximately 97 Superman shirts, socks, and other assorted articles of clothing, I spent an entire year of my life reading or watching a different Superman story every single day, and although I do not personally HAVE a tattoo, if I ever were to get one, you can probably guess what image I would choose. So you may be surprised when I tell you that the answer to the question “have you read every Superman story?” is a definitive NO.

The thing to remember, friends, is that despite my age, Superman is considerably older than me. Earth’s greatest hero is coming up on his 90th birthday in two years, and I am not quite there yet. There are mountains of Superman stories that were published before I was born. And to be certain, I’ve read a lot of them. His first appearance in Action Comics #1 has been reprinted frequently, as have many of the most popular and memorable stories, stories that introduced important characters and concepts, and so forth. But the truth is, there are a lot of Superman stories – especially from the Golden and Silver Ages – that have never been reprinted. In this day of digital comics, one would think that it would be simple enough for DC to put them all on their DC Universe Infinite app, to which I subscribe and use almost daily. But if you go into the archives and start poking around, you see massive swaths of comics that simply aren’t there.

There are reasons for that, of course. It’s NOT as simple as just pushing a button and putting them online. Many of those comics, especially the older ones, have never existed in a digital form. They were drawn, colored, and printed on paper before the advent of computers, and to digitize them today would require someone to take the old prints, scan them in, and remaster them into a readable format, and that is assuming copies of the books are available (which is often not the case with Golden Age comics, especially the more obscure ones). If there are available copies it’s not an impossible task – a great many classic comics have been preserved this way – but it IS a time-consuming and sometimes expensive task, which is why those older comics that ARE available digitally are the ones that are the most popular and most significant.

All that said, I wish that DC would put more effort into preserving their older comics. On a whim, I went through the app and looked at the assorted Superman titles to see which ones have missing issues, and the results are, frankly, alarming. Of the 904 issues of Action Comics Vol. 1, DCUI lists 463 of them available digitally. (Actually, that number isn’t exactly accurate, as the 463 includes annuals and specials that DC places in the run of the main title, but the number is close enough to make my point.) As of when I checked the app on Feb. 23, the following issues of Action Comics are unavailable digitally: 106-251, 253-266, 268-283, 285-307, 360-363, 377-456, 458-520, 522-551, 560-582, 603-617, 627-642, 653-658, 660, 663-668, and, bizarrely, 729.

It’s interesting to note which books ARE available as well. There’s an enormous hole at the end of the Golden Age and beginning of the Silver Age, stretching almost completely from 106 through 360. In that run there are only three issues that pop up: issue #252 (the first appearance of Supergirl), issue #267 (an early Legion of Super-Heroes story with the first appearance of several key members), and issue #284 (I have no idea what makes this issue special enough to warrant inclusion).

Left: Worthy of digitizing.
Right: Somehow, NOT worthy of digitizing.

Also missing are most, but not all, of the Action Comics Weekly run, from issues #601-642. For those who don’t know, at this time DC experimented with changing Action from a monthly title starring Superman to a weekly anthology book with several ongoing stories, of which Superman was only one of them. What’s bizarre to me is that they have issues #618-626, which I have to assume contains some serialized story they deem significant enough to include.

Speaking of anthologies, it should also be noted that the early Golden Age issues of Action are incomplete. The series was originally an anthology before Superman (or his spin-off characters, like Supergirl) eventually took over the entire book, for but many of those anthology issues, ONLY the Superman story is online. Granted, that’s probably the part of the book of greatest interest, but that still leaves huge gaps in DC history. The same is true for the other Golden Age anthologies that are remembered mostly for their main character, such as the Batman stories in Detective Comics or the Wonder Woman stories in Sensation Comics.

Reading this period is going to be like rolling the dice.

I kept looking. Volume 1 of Superman is missing issues 25-27, 29, 31-33, 44-75, 77-121, 132-232, 239, 243-247, 249-256, 258-265, 267-304, 309-337, 339-364, 366-409, and 416-422. That series didn’t end there, but the title was changed to Adventures of Superman, which is missing issues 580-581, 599-607, 610-638, 640-641, and 643-649. During that time, the book ran concurrently with Superman Vol. 2, which is missing a relative few issues (178-185, 188-203), and Superman: The Man of Steel, which seems to only be lacking 121-129. The baffling thing is that these three titles, along with the post-Weekly era of Action Comics, were part of what fans fondly recall as the Triangle Era, that period in the 90s and early 2000s when the four Superman titles fed into each other week to week, essentially making one glorious serial. Anybody attempting to read this era in its entirety on the app will find bizarre and baffling gaps in the story.

These are the main Superman titles, of course, but the spin-off books have fared little better. Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane ran for 137 issues between 1958 and 1974. Of those, only issues #1-21 and, randomly, #93 are available digitally. Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen ran for 163 issues before the title was changed to Superman Family and it became an anthology with stories featuring assorted characters in the…well, the title makes it clear. Of the original Jimmy Olsen run, we have only the first eight issues, then issues 133-148, the seminal Jack Kirby run on the title. The series continued as Superman Family from issues #164 until it was cancelled with #222, but the only one available on the app is #182, again, for reasons I can’t fathom.

Finally, let’s talk about the Superman team-up book of the late 70s and early 80s, DC Comics Presents. This series has fared much better than many of the others we’ve covered here. Of the 97 issues in the run, only three are missing: issue #47, which guest starred He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and is therefore no longer available to DC due to licensing issues, and issues 70 and 71, which guest-star the Metal Men and Bizarro, respectively, and don’t seem to have any particular reason they should be discluded.

“By the Power of Lawyers! YOOOU CANNOT REEEEEAD MEEEEEEEE!”

This is not a comprehensive examination, of course. I haven’t checked in on most of the annuals, specials, or miniseries, although it should be noted that only the first issue of the Superman: The Secret Years miniseries from 1985 is included, which is totally perplexing to me. Why bother to digitize ONLY part one of a four-part story?

I should also note that this is not a problem unique to the Superman comics. If you go through the back catalogues of most DC books prior to the modern era, you’ll see similar gaps in the libraries of Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, etc. I also stopped looking after the New 52 reboot of 2011, at which point digital comics had become relatively common, and I feel mostly certain that everything one could reasonably expect to be available is so. But what I’ve laid out here should be enough to make it clear how big this problem is.

Again, digitizing the thousands of comics that have not been scanned would be a daunting task. It would be time-consuming and expensive. Some of the books – such as the aforementioned He-Man crossover – would run into rights issues that prevent them from being reprinted or added to the app. Others may cause some sort of confusion in terms of royalty payments to the creators involved. And a few – a scant few, but a few – books have been deliberately left out because one of the creators involved would later go on to infamy for reasons entirely unrelated to their comic book career. (If you don’t know what I mean, look up who originally wrote the 1990 Green Lantern title and Justice League Europe and you’ll quickly discover why those books are mostly off the DC website and out of print.)

And of course, DC Comics is a business, and it’s not likely that they will undertake all of these endeavors unless they see a profit in it. What would the profit be, then, in having employees spend thousands of hours scanning in and remastering the thousands of comics that are currently AWOL? Would they be able to sell enough collected editions to justify it? Would it draw in a mountain of new subscribers to the app? The honest truth is, even if it WERE as simple as hitting a switch that allowed DC to say “Every Superman comic ever is now on the DC Universe Infinite app!” it probably wouldn’t generate enough new users to fully justify the cost.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing.

DC Comics is a business, sure, but comic books are an art form, and art should be preserved. And increasingly, in this modern age, digital preservation for older comics, books, movies, music recordings, and other works of art is proving to be the best way to make sure that it is available to future generations. Public domain helps with this. Once a work is available to the public, there are a lot of people who have a vested interest in seeing that it is preserved. The first Action Comics issues – and by extension, the first appearances of Superman – will enter the public domain in 2034. Every year after that, a new batch will be added to that list. If DC doesn’t do it themselves, eventually somebody else will make these classic books available. There’s a comfort to that, but it also begs the question of whether that’s what DC really wants. Is it actually in their best interest to keep these things buried until everybody ELSE can get their hands on them and put them out there for the world?

I’m not speaking objectively, obviously. I want very much for all these missing works to be available there for me to read here and now, although I’m willing to wait for DC to do it right…provided they’re actually doing it. In the earlier years of the app, DC had a relatively regular schedule of adding older comics to the library, but that has largely dried up. Every Wednesday DC adds the most recent NEW comics to the app, but the older back catalogue hasn’t had a substantial update in a very long time. It’s a shame.

And it’s time DC did something about it.

Geek Punditry #164: Archie Gets Small — And That Ain’t a Bad Thing

February 20, 2026February 20, 2026 blakemp Geek Punditry Archie, Archie Comics, Compact Comics, DC Comics, Jughead, Oni Press

Time for an update on a couple of topics that we’ve talked about here in Geek Punditry before – both of which coincidentally have collided in recent weeks. Last August (in GP #138: Riverdale in Crisis) I wrote about how Archie Comics was changing its long-running digest program, and how that was just one of the many ways that the old stalwart publisher looked like it was in trouble. At the time, I postulated that one of the ways that Archie could possibly right the ship would be to partner up with another publisher to pull out of their dilemma. And because the laws of physics are universal and immutable, it turns out I was right.

In December, Archie announced a new partnership with Oni Press (publisher of such things as Rick and Morty and Adventure Time, among many other fine comics). Although it appears as though Archie is still publishing their own digests and one-shots, which is almost all they’ve done the last few years, Oni is going to release three new ongoing Archie series later this year: a new volume of Archie, a new Sabrina series, and a continuation of Archie’s popular horror line of titles with Archie in Hell. I’m back and forth on these. I’m more of a fan of the classic, traditional Archie comics than I am of the various attempts to modernize them over the past two decades, even though some of them (like Mark Waid’s Archie run) were done very well. I am, however, intrigued by the fact that this new Archie is going to be written by W. Maxwell Prince, creator of Image Comics’ incredible horror title Ice Cream Man as well as my favorite miniseries of last year, the decidedly non-horror Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum.

But more pertinent today is the fact that Oni is also going to release new archive and paperback editions of classic Archie stories. Earlier this week, they announced what some of those will be, including a hardcover edition of Tom King’s Archie: The Decision, omnibus collections of Archie: The Married Life, and a “definitive” edition of the horror title Afterlife With Archie. I just have to say, it is audacious as heck to produce a “definitive” edition of a comic book series that was never finished because the writer got distracted by working on the Riverdale TV show.

“So is the ‘Deluxe Edition’ going to have an ending?”
“HAHAHAHAHA! No.”

But that’s not all! Oni also announced three new collections of the “New Riverdale” comics from about a decade ago, reprinting the Archie, Sabrina, and Jughead titles from that era. And these New Riverdale collections will all be in their nifty and acclaimed Compact Comics format!

Hold on a second… “Compact Comics.” That sounds familiar.

Oh yeah! It’s familiar because DC Comics launched that format back in 2024. DC’s Compact Comics are a format just slightly larger than a mass market paperback book. The series was introduced in an attempt to grab readers who otherwise might not be in a comic shop or want to carry around a full-size graphic novel. (I talked about it in GP #119: It’s the Little Things, and I suggested future titles DC could give the Compact Comics treatment in GP #124: Compact These!) DC was the first comic publisher – in the modern era, anyway – to make a major push in this digest sized-market, and with books collecting anywhere from a single 120-page graphic novel to over 400 pages of a series for only $9.99, the line has become a smash hit. By the end of this year, DC will have 37 different titles available, ranging from perennial classics like Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Kingdom Come to newer acclaimed series like Far Sector and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (The latter, coincidentally, happens to be the basis for this summer’s Supergirl movie. Funny how that works out, isn’t it?)

Now it’s true that success in any field of entertainment, comic books included, will inevitably inspire imitators, so once DC’s Compact Comics made a splash it was only a matter of time before other companies got into the game. Marvel joined the fray with their “Premiere Collection,” books that are slightly larger than DC’s and at a slightly higher price point ($14.99 instead of $9.99). Boom! Studios will also join in next month with the first “Compact Edition” of their popular Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, also at $14.99. Oni, however, is even bolder than these two. Their Compact Comics line not only copies DC’s name, price point, and publishing dimensions, but even the trade dress is, save for the color scheme, almost identical to DC’s. Looking at an Oni Compact Comic and a DC Compact Comic, someone who doesn’t know anything about the respective companies could easily be forgiven for thinking they were released by the same publisher.

“Can I copy your homework?”
“Fine, but change it a little so the teacher doesn’t notice.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I really don’t object to any of this. I love the Compact Comics format and, as I’ve said before, I would be perfectly happy if this became the default collected format for most comic books. It’s more appealing to the casual reader, and provides an easier way to break into markets outside of the realm of die-hard fans, like drugstore bookshelves or airport shops. And as much as I dislike movie tie-in covers, DC could be forgiven if they were to release a print of the Woman of Tomorrow book with a photo of Milly Alcock on the cover and a sticker that says something like “the graphic novel that inspired the DC Studios movie!” Hardcovers, archive editions, and “deluxe” editions in the larger format are fine, of course, but if all you want is to read the story, you can’t beat this style. I am just amused by how flagrantly Oni ran with DC’s success.

As for the future of Archie – I’m very glad that they’ve found a partner to help them stay alive. And I hope that this first wave of books is enough of a success to justify future waves. As I said, the “New Riverdale” stuff isn’t really my bag, but in the future I would love to see more books in the Compact Comics format – classic Archie, of course, would be the bee’s knees. But I would also like to see some of the less traditional stuff, like Archie’s Red Circle heroes, the Mighty Crusaders – even the Impact Comics versions of those characters that were published (coincidentally) by DC back in the 90s but haven’t been seen since.

Archie’s back library is vast and varied, even though the tales of the gang from Riverdale are their bread and butter. Having them in a good, readable, sharable format is a great thing. Here’s hoping this first wave is a huge hit so that we can all get more.

Blake M. Petit is a writer, teacher, and dad from Ama, Louisiana. His most recent writing project is the superhero adventure series Other People’s Heroes: Little Stars, volume one of which is now available on Amazon. You can subscribe to his newsletter by clicking right here. He’s also started putting his LitReel videos on TikTok. He’s waiting for the Compact Comics version of Jughead’s Diner. Go ahead, Google it. It’s a thing.

Superman Stuff #7: Get Ready For Supergirl Day 2026!

February 18, 2026February 17, 2026 blakemp Superman Stuff DC Comics, Supergirl, superman, Superman Day

After years of DC celebrating an annual “Batman Day” in September, last year they FINALLY expanded their promotional offerings to do a day in celebration of their first hero, Superman. And it only took a reboot of their entire cinematic universe to do it. Superman Day 2025 was held on April 18th, the anniversary of the release of Action Comics #1, and it looks like they’re planning to stick with that April 18th date this year for their next go-round. But that’s not all. Superman Day 2026 is going to have a special guest star, the hero of her own movie hitting this summer – Supergirl.

These specials have really been exciting for me. Anything that pushes out DC’s characters to a new audience (the Superman family in particular) is fine in my book, and after last year I finally feel like DC is starting to give Superman his due. Some people may be upset to see him having to share his special day with Kara on just the second year of the promotion, but you know what? Superman himself would be perfectly okay with it.

As on the assorted Batman Days, Superman Day is going to have a series of special edition comics and new releases to commemorate the occasion. Among the things that have been announced are special “Superman Day” editions of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1, the series that the upcoming movie is based on, as well as special editions of the first issues of both the current volumes of Supergirl and Superman, which is great, because those books have been some of DC’s best since their respective launches. There will also be a new hardcover edition of Woman of Tomorrow, although the release from DC Comics that I read doesn’t say if this new edition will have any new content (such as behind-the-scenes sketches, commentary from the creators, etc.) or just a new cover. They also helpfully remind you that you can get the traditional trade paperback edition or their dandy “Compact Comics” edition, which is the one I recommend if you’re just trying to dip your toes into the DC Universe without breaking the bank. It’s the entire eight-issue series in a smaller format for only $9.99. I’m actually a huge fan of the Compact Comics format as a whole, honestly, and I wouldn’t really mind if it became the standard format for DC’s paperback editions moving forward.

But that’s not all! There will also be a preview comic with a story from the upcoming anthology Supergirl: The World. DC’s The World series, which has previously released volumes starring Batman, the Joker, and – yes – Superman – collects brand-new short stories of their respective characters with writing and art by creators from all corners of the globe, making for a very interesting mix of content and a wide array of different story types and tastes between two covers.

Still not enough? Well, younger readers can grab a Superman Day preview edition of Rob Justus’s young readers graphic novel Superman’s Good Guy Gang. Readers who want a taste of what I consider the Golden Age of Superman (the late 80s and early 90s) can get DC Finest Presents Superman: Time and Time Again #1, a preview book for a new collected edition of comics from that era with the same title. Finally, collectors can get special facsimile editions of the first appearances of Superman and Supergirl from Action Comics #1 and Action Comics #252, respectively.

Usually, on “Batman Day” and “Superman Day,” some of the books have been freebies. If the pattern stays true, I would expect the new versions of Superman #1, Supergirl #1, Woman of Tomorrow #1, and the preview editions of Superman: Time and Time Again, Supergirl: The World and Superman’s Good Guy Gang to be the giveaway books. The press release mentions that the two facsimile editions will each have a $3.99 price tag, but no prices are mentioned for the other books.

Finally, there will be special “Superman Day” hardcover editions (again, this most likely means new cover art) of the classic graphic novel All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, and Superman Vol.1: Supercorp by Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell, the series that the aforementioned Superman #1 reprint kicked off.

I’m glad to see that DC is pushing Supergirl the way that they are. With the recent Puppy Bowl tie-in and the fantastic teaser trailers that they’ve dropped, they’re fairly well on pace for the same promotional push they gave her cousin last year. Considering how long they’ve been doing Batman Day, I feel fairly certain that they’ll keep the momentum going into next year for the release of Man of Tomorrow. Then 2028, of course, will be Superman’s 90th anniversary, and they’d be insane not to capitalize on THAT. So I feel optimistic that Big Blue is going to have his special day for some time to come.

Superman Stuff #6: New Releases-Jan. 28 and Feb. 6, 2026

February 11, 2026 blakemp Superman Stuff Absolute Superman, Amy Reeder, Batgirl, Bizarro, Bruno Redondo, Carmine Di Giandomenico, CRC Payne, Creeper, Dan Mora, Dan Slott, Darkseid, DC Comics, DC KO, Eber Ferreira, Eddy Barrows, Hawkman, Homelander, Ig Guarra, Jamal Campbell, Jason Aaron, Jeremy Adams, Jon Kent, Joshua Williamson, Juan Ferreyra, Kieran McKeown, Leah Williams, Legion of Super-Heroes, Lex Luthor, Livewire, Lois Lane, Pablo M. Collar, Paulina Ganucheau, Perry White, Rafa Sandoval, Ronan Cliquet, Rosi Kampe, Superboy-Prime, Supergirl, superman, The Boys, Titans, Travis Mercer, Valentine's Day

It’s time for another roundup of recent Superman comics. This week I’ll be reviewing the Superman and Superman-related releases that were released on Jan 28 and Feb. 6. Let’s get into it!

Superman Vol. 6 #34

Title: I, Superman (A DC KO Tie-In)

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Art: Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira

Main Cover: Dan Mora

In the arctic, the unusual trio of Lois, Superboy-Prime, and a Superman Robot are fleeing the Fortress of Solitude and the battle with members of Darkseid’s Legion. Meanwhile, the Final Four from the main tournament get a chance to look in on what’s happening back on Earth. It’s a pretty sparse recap, I admit, but the pages are PACKED here with character stuff.

The surprising redemption of Superboy-Prime continues this issue, as he finds himself confronting a Superman Robot that has many of the memories and personality of the original. The contrast between the two is marked and the way that Prime has to reckon with the way the REAL Superman apparently thinks of him…which isn’t what he expected, but is probably exactly what the reader would anticipate. I like Prime’s reactions quite a bit – he’s got an awful lot to cope with here, and for the most part, Williamson is handling it well. He may be going slightly too hard on the fourth wall-breaking dialogue, though. Prime is carrying around knowledge of the fact that he’s in a comic book universe, which is fine, but we don’t want it to go so far as to turn him into Deadpool.

We also spend time with the members of Darkseid’s Legion, who up until this point have come across largely as mindless stormtroopers wearing the faces of our friends. We get a different look here, a reminder that although they’re from a universe corrupted by Darkseid’s Omega Energy, they’re still fundamentally the same people, and perhaps the notion of redemption that Williamson is playing with here isn’t restricted to Prime himself.

I’m all about Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira’s artwork – bold, strong, and proud. They’re also pretty good about drawing a Prime that looks like an actual Superboy. Even at his most villainous, it’s important to remember that he’s still a version of Clark Kent, and there have been artists who occasionally forget that.

DC KO: The Kids Are All Fight Special #1

Writer: Jeremy Adams

Art: Travis Mercer

Main Cover: Bruno Redondo

The Justice League is strained at the moment, with many of their members caught up in the tournament for the Heart of Apokalips, and most of the others fighting to help evacuate Earth or deal with the dozens of other disasters cropping up all over the place. Jon Kent is given one of the most important duties of all: staying on the Watchtower and keeping an eye on some of the younger heroes, including the Boom, Fairplay, Quiz Kid, and Cheshire Cat. Of course, it would be a pretty short special if the kids just sat around and did what they were told, wouldn’t it? Naturally, they get loose, run into trouble against some of Darkseid’s minions, and Jonathan is forced to call on Cassandra Cain for help.

Jon has been in the last several issues of Titans, working with them as they spearhead the evacuation effort. In March, the book is scheduled to be retitled New Titans with issue #32, and the cover (with several characters in silhouette only) implies heavily that Jon will be a member of the new team. If that’s the case, I’m really quite satisfied with it. The character has been rattling around aimless, for entirely too long, and if making him a member of the Titans actually gives him something to do that makes sense, that’s the best we can hope for. What’s more, I like the group of kids that we see in this issue, the ones that Jon is protecting. I’ve wanted to see more of Boom since she first appeared in the Stargirl: The Lost Children miniseries a few years ago. Fairplay, too, is an interesting character, a very different take on Mr. Terrific that has a lot of promising storytelling avenues. Best of all, there’s a surprise guest-star in this issue that filled me with joy, and no doubt will have the same effect on a lot of other readers. It’s someone we haven’t seen in quite some time, but that DC has been teasing very heavily lately. I’m hoping that this character will stick around in New Titans as well.

Of course, none of that is set in stone. Jon is the only character in this issue whose silhouette appears on that New Titans cover. But covers – especially early solicits – can be deceiving. I don’t expect the heroes we see in this issue to be the new Titans team in its entirety, but I hope that Jon isn’t the only young hero that got a tryout in this issue, because I think there’s a lot to work with here.

DC’s Supergirl Next Door #1

Note: This is DC’s Valentine’s Day anthology for 2026. There are eight different stories in the book, but I’m only reviewing the Supergirl story.

Title: A Dream of Different Stars

Writer: CRC Payne

Art: Paulina Ganucheau

Main Cover: Amy Reeder

Allen is a new kid in Midvale, struggling to make friends and struggling to fit in. That is, until he meets another new kid in town, Linda Danvers. The two of them form a bond and she opens up to him, revealing just how deeply she misses her old home, and Allen decides to do something to help her.

Short and sweet, but that’s what this story is. It’s a lovely little tale of a couple of foundlings who find solace in one another. CRC Payne is a name I mostly know from her work on DC’s digital comics, such as Batman Family Adventures and Harley Quinn in Paradise. She’s brought the same kind, quiet, reflective tenor she uses in Batman Family Adventures to this story as well, crafting a tale that makes it easy to relate to the characters despite its brevity. Ganucheau’s art has a loose quality to it as well, befitting the more animated style we see in Payne’s other work and fitting very well for this tidy little love story. There’s real charm here that I appreciate.

DC KO: Boss Battle #1

Writer: Jeremy Adams

Art: Ronan Cliquet, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Kieran McKeown, Pablo M. Collar

Main Cover: Jamal Campbell

Seconds after the end of DC KO #3, the Final Four in the tournament for the Heart of Apokalips are poised for the battle of their lives, but World Forger manages to “pause” the game. They’re not ready, the need more Omega Energy, so he finds a way to generate some by briefly spending the heroes into neighboring realities to have additional battles and charge up, leading to fights against the wildest opponents yet: Sub-Zero and Scorpion from Mortal Kombat, Samantha Strong from Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Vampirella, Red Sonja, the murderous doll Annabelle, and – in the title fight that people have been wanting to see for YEARS, Superman versus Homelander from Garth Ennis and Darrick Robinson’s The Boys.

During the Year of Superman, I included Homelander in the week I wrote about “Superman gone wrong” – characters who are intended to be dark or even evil versions of the Man of Steel. To me, Homelander is one of the most insidious of those. He is what people who never understand Superman THINK Superman should be like. And knowing that Superman is one of the few superheroes that Ennis actually has respect for, from the minute this book was announced, I was looking forward to seeing our boy Clark finally giving Homelander the beatdown he so richly deserves.

The result is…okay.

Look, the concept of this book is fantastic. It’s utterly insane, and the matchups are crazy. (Joker versus Annabelle, anybody? COME ON!) But it’s just too short. It seems like nearly half the book is taken up just with giving each of the champions borrowed from other universes a page of introduction each, then the fights themselves are over and done with far too quickly. I have never said this before, but this is a crossover spinoff one-shot that probably SHOULD have been a crossover spinoff miniseries.

What’s more, it’s kind of inconsequential. It picks up just as DC KO #3 ends, and the final page promises that the story leaps from this book straight into DC KO #4, and it’s structured in such a way that people who are only reading that main book will feel like they haven’t missed anything. I get why they structured it that way, and I don’t begrudge that, but considering that this book is ultimately just a fun little sidestory rather than required reading (like so many of the books from “All Fight Month” were) just kind of makes me lament the fact that there wasn’t time for a little more fun.

Superman: Chains of Love Special #1

Title: Creepers

Writer: Leah Williams

Art: Ig Guarra

Main Cover: Yasmine Putri

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we get this one-shot. Livewire is being paroled from prison, but her years away have left her without her audience…until she stumbles into the Creeper, who finds a way to help her climb back to prominence. And then, with love in the air, the sparks fly.

It’s a cute enough story – questions of continuity aside (Livewire says early that she’s “from the 90s,” which feels a little meta), the two characters have an interesting chemistry that actually plays out in an entertaining way. Superman’s presence in the story is minimal however, mostly there for structure in the new environment that Leslie Willis finds herself in. But I guess DC (correctly) assumed that branding this as a Superman special rather than a Creeper/Livewire special would get more readers.

Title: Bill Zarro’s World

Writer: Dan Slott

Art: Rosi Kampe

Dan Slott and Rosi Kampe also come through with a back-up story in this issue. Bill Zarro is a lowly peon working at the Daily Planet. His boss is a jerk, his wife resents him, his kids disdain him…until one day he wakes up on Bizarro World, and everything changes. This is a short story that’s essentially an extended gag piece that builds up to an unusual and amusing punchline. The ending is funny enough to make the story worth recommending.

Absolute Superman #16

Title: The Never-Ending Begins Part Two: This Universe Will Break Your Heart, Kid

Writer: Jason Aaron

Art: Juan Ferreyra

Main Cover: Rafa Sandoval

This issue brings us the full introduction of a new Absolute Universe hero as Superman is approached by the mysterious Hawkman. This version of Carter Hall has been around for a long time, and initially doesn’t know what to make of this newcomer with all of the powers. We also see Lois as she tries to find a new direction in the wake of her departure from the espionage game, a new version of another classic character, and the recruitment of Lex Luthor continuing unabated.

Here’s something that I haven’t really said before about many of the Absolute comics: this issue is surprisingly funny. The first couple of pages in which Superman and Hawkman meet in midair are punctuated by Kal-El getting distracted by disasters both minor and major and then zipping off to deal with them and leaving Hawkman flapping his wings. The introduction to this new Hawkman works really well. It can be easy to forget that this “young” universe is still a universe, with a history all of its own, and Hawkman feels like a great opportunity to explore that a little bit more.

The Lois story has some humor as well. For a while it didn’t seem as though this book was going to brush much on the traditional Superman status quo at all, but here we’ve got Lois and Jimmy looking into being reporters, the introduction of the Daily Planet, and the debut of one Perry White. Even there, though, we see the influence of Darkseid on this world. The Planet ain’t the grand old dame she is in the main DC Universe, and although Perry has the same sort of grit you’d want from the character, it comes with more grime than one would usually expect. The way this is structured he may be a one-off character, but I really hope that’s not the case. I feel like there’s a lot of potential here, especially in having him interact with Lois.

Even the Lex Luthor scene is darkly comedic. The Absolute Luthor – with a proud shock of red hair and a burly beard, is a man utterly happy and content in his simple like. The difference between him and “our” Lex Luthor is perhaps more striking than any other Absolute character we’ve met yet, which is amusing, but at the same time, seems poised to bring him to a bitter, heartbreaking end.

Or not. Aaron has been surprising me a lot with this book.

Juan Ferreyra handles both the line art and colors for this book, and I really like his work. The flashback scenes, showing some of Carter’s adventures in the 40s, have a nice sort of archaic look to them. In the modern scenes, where he and Kal-El meet, he does this really interesting blur effect to show Superman zipping into action. It’s not wholly unique – I’ve seen similar effects from other artists – but his execution is great. I’m also a big fan of the monster designs from later in the issue, and his battle scenes look stunning.

We’re on the second issue of this new story arc, and it’s honestly shaping up to be my favorite from the series so far. It’s brighter somehow, and while that may be a deviation from the whole ethos of the Absolute Universe, I feel like that’s kind of the point. A Superman – a REAL Superman – should always be the bright spot in his world, no matter how dark the world itself may be.

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