Hawkman

Superman Stuff #27: June 2026 Review Roundup!

blakemp Superman Stuff , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s time once again for a roundup of recent comic reviews! This time, we’re kicking it off with Supergirl’s return to Elseworlds, just in time for her new movie!

Supergirl: Survive #1

Writers: Ethan S. Parker & Griffin Sheridan
Art & Main Cover: Rod Reis

The newest Elseworlds miniseries puts Kara Zor-El in the forefront. Ever since Jeph Loeb brought her back after her death in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, one of my favorite bits of lore that was added to Supergirl is the idea that Kara is actually OLDER than Kal-El, but was in suspended animation for her trip to Earth, which took much longer for her than her cousin. The result is that when she arrived on Earth she was still a teenager, and now was in the position of seeking big brotherly guidance from the world’s greatest superhero, whose diapers she changed just a few relative months ago. Supergirl: Survive starts from that basic premise. The Elseworlds twist this time is that instead of Kal-El escaping Krypton’s destruction ALONE, older cousin Kara was placed into the rocket ship WITH him.

Then there’s another twist. But we’ll come back to that.

The destruction of Krypton is only in the last few pages of this issue, with most of the book taken up with Kara’s life on Krypton and a schism between her father, Zor-El, and his brother Jor-El. The friction between the brothers is explored, but they manage to come together in the end. We get a few pages focusing on some sort of political unrest on Krypton, although the actual source of it is somewhat unclear (and there’s a bit that feels like a heavy-handed attempt at a metaphor, which I hope isn’t where things are going, but you never know). There’s also a lot of stuff about Kara in school, her friendships, the boy she has a crush on…and to be honest, all of it is a little perplexing. If this was part of the main DC Universe, we’d get some backstory to emphasize the tragedy that’s coming, the dramatic irony of the reader knowing every character Kara is interacting with is doomed. But this is an Elseworlds, and there’s a definite possibility that these scenes are not just flavor to make the cataclysm more bitter. I may be wrong, although I won’t be certain until the series reaches its end, but a lot of this feels like groundwork for future plot points. 

The other thing that makes this interesting is – without getting into too much detail – this is NOT a story about Kara and Kal-El growing up on Earth together, as many people would be tempted to tell with this starting point. No, remember, the title is “Survive,” and the struggle for survival seems like it’s going to take place in space. Although Earth was the intended destination, by the end of this first issue that’s already blown up in our faces, and that’s the thing that I find most interesting here. The writers are using a familiar starting point, but they take a wild left turn immediately afterwards, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it leads. 

Adventures of Superman: Book of El #9

Title: The Battle For Tamaran
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art & Main Cover: Scott Godlewski

As we seem to be moving into the final act of this story, we’re digging still more into the future family of Kal-El, which – okay, it’s the title of the series. But man, there’s a lot going on here, and I wish more than ever that DC saw fit to preface their books with a recap page like Marvel does, because there are so many characters and so many things going on that it’s getting really difficult to keep track month-to-month.

All that said, there was probably more to like about this issue than I’ve seen in this series for quite some time. Although I often find his stories to be hit-or-miss, I cannot deny just how well Phillip Kennedy Johnson understands Superman’s character, the inherent goodness and optimism that makes the character what he is. And best of all, he portrays those traits as infectious. We don’t see too much of that from Superman himself this issue, but rather from Osul-Ra, who has taken his Papa’s lessons to heart and expresses them very well, even as he goes into battle. 

I’m still more interested in Rowan Kent, the “Lantern in the Dark,” than I am in most of the other players in this story, and I again reiterate that I’d read a miniseries just about her. But the final page gives me a little more hope, bringing in a character that’s definitely more familiar and gives the whole story a more solid standing. 

Supergirl #14

Title: Hero of Kandor Part Four (A Reign of the Superboys tie-in)
Writer, Art & Main Cover: Sophie Campbell

When the cover for this issue was released it initially caused a bit of a stir. “Matrix Returns!” the artwork proclaims. And the cover is an homage to a classic Tom Grummet pin-up from the 90s. The return of the Matrix Supergirl, the one from the Death of Superman era and the amazing Peter David run! She was coming back!

Then Sophie Campbell said that the marketing department was being overzealous and the Matrix Supergirl is NOT returning…in THIS issue. But there are plans for her. So I’m excited and I’m not going to hold the marketing against Campbell any more than I’m going to blame her for the editorial-mandated “Reign of the Superboys” stamp that doesn’t really amount to much. 

Here’s what happens: Lena reunites with Kara and Lesla-Lar, on the run from Black Flame, who has stolen the ring that allowed Supergirl to use her powers while in Kandor. Lena has a solution, though, a special suit she’s made that she calls an S-Matrix (get it?) that will boost Kara’s powers and make her a match for the villain. Conner Kent spends the issue unconscious. 

But honestly, that’s gotta be because he was never intended to be in this story in the first place, and what we get with the girls works really well. Campbell’s earlier storylines, which have all been about Kara taking adversaries and enemies and turning them into friends, is really paying off here, with a lot of nice character work and an exciting last few pages that promise a heck of a finale. And if in the mixture Kara gets a new, temporary costume perfect for merchandising and Funko Pops just as her movie is in theaters? All the better for it. Tenuous link to the “Reign” notwithstanding, this has been a great storyline and I look forward to the end. 

Superman Unlimited #14

Title: Hero Time (A Reign of the Superboys tie-in)
Writer: Dan Slott
Art: Lucas Meyer & David Messina
Main Cover: Taurin Clarke

In case you couldn’t tell from the cover, things are really coming to a head with this issue. As the time-tossed Jon Kent and his older self (as Tomorrow Man) face a slew of their father’s old foes (Thaddeus Killgrave, Volcana, Dabney Donovan, etc.), Lois continues to investigate the mystery of her younger son and his missing older counterpart. Although it’s been apparent for some time that something was up with the younger Jon, the revelation this issue works out very well, tying this story in not only with the earlier stories of this run (with the mountain of Kryptonite in El Caldero) but also with a story in another recent Superman title that – at the time – I thought ended rather abruptly. I’m really happy to see that it was a setup for this story, and it promises a slam-bang ending.

The Lois scenes are actually my favorite stuff in this issue. Her gut is telling her that something is off, so she turns for counsel to the only people she can, Jonathan and Martha Kent, who prove that they’re just as great at being in-laws as they were parents to her missing husband. We also get to see not only Steel in action, but Lana as Superwoman, which we don’t get nearly enough of. She’s still got the powers, why doesn’t she use ‘em more often? 

Action Comics #1099

Title: Powerless (A Reign of the Superboys tie-in)
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Skylar Patridge & Patricio Delpeche
Main Cover: Ryan Sook

A third Reign of the Superboys series hits its penultimate issue as the time-tossed Justice League tries to find a way to restore young Clark Kent’s powers. Epoch’s red-sun blast has stripped him to the level of a normal human, but for some reason, the yellow sun is not restoring his powers as it should. As they try to solve the mystery, the paradox of their presence in the past begins to catch up to them. Meanwhile, Lana makes an unsettling discovery.

Waid is really playing with the time-travel stuff here, and it appears as though in this story we’re playing by Back to the Future rules. A difficult part of time-travel is establishing exactly how the mechanics of it work. As such a purely hypothetical concept, I don’t really mind what the rules of time-travel are as long as they remain internally consistent. This becomes more difficult in a huge shared universe like DC Comics, where there are dozens of time-travel stories with mechanics that flatly contradict the way it’s being depicted in this story. That isn’t really Mark Waid’s fault, but it IS a consideration that creeps into my mind when I’m reading it.

That said, if you’re reading this book just because you want a time travel story, you’re getting it for the wrong reasons. It’s the character stuff that really works here, as we watch Clark go through various levels of grappling with his powerless state. We see him first frustrated at feeling so useless, then watch the pendulum swing in the other direction as he rediscovers the joy of just being a normal kid, then all the way back again when he realizes he’s denying the responsibility that he’s already accepted. It’s a fun sort of roller coaster to put the character on. He’s Superman, we know he’s going to grow up and accept who he is, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t struggle with it, especially at such a young age. It’s more realistic, more relatable.

The subplot with Lana gets more interesting here, and in more than one way. We see basic character stuff, which is nice and sweet. We also get a bit of a mystery that has me intrigued.

Next issue, #1100, has been touted as the return of Superman after being lost in time after the end of DC KO. I hope that doesn’t mean the end of Mark Waid’s adventures with Superboy, because it’s been a fun ride. 

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #52

Title: Warlords Part Two
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Adrian Gutierrez
Main Cover: Dan Mora

Last issue our heroes – Superman, Batman, and Robin – travelled to the lost world of Skartaris in search of a missing Air Force pilot. Upon arriving, they discover that due to timey-wimey stuff, the man they’re searching for has become an evil wizard, and in order to defeat him they’ll have to partner with ANOTHER missing pilot, Travis Morgan, the Warlord. With no defense against Tyrant Rex’s magic, Superman is quickly captured, sending Batman on a rescue mission, while Robin tries to piece together the villain’s ultimate goal.

As I’ve said before, Warlord is one of the corners of the DCU that I’ve never been able to really get into, but Waid is using it well here. Superman’s whole problem with magic is actually used appropriately here, rather than treating it as if it were Kryptonite like some people seem to assume, and it suits the story Waid is telling. The issue mostly focuses on Batman and Robin, as Superman is kind of off the table, but Robin serves nicely as an audience surrogate as we get a quick history of Skartaris, or at least as much of it as is relevant to this story. And it all wraps up with our two title heroes getting new looks that are RIPE for action figures.

Am I getting too cynical?  I find myself assuming that every time a comic book gets a new look – even one that’s obviously temporary and only intended for the duration of the current storyline – there’s a marketing wonk somewhere pointing at the cover and saying, “That’s it, we’re gonna TOY that one right there.” I mean, I don’t think that assumption is WRONG, I’m just wondering if I’m cynical in that I constantly feel the need to point it out. Anyway, obviously I’ll get the Funko Pop of both this Superman and the Supergirl in the white-blue-and-yellow costume from above. 

Summer of Supergirl Special #1

The Summer of Supergirl is upon us, and DC is treating us to this one-shot all-star special. I’ll take each story in this one individually.

Title: Man’s Best Friend
Writer: Sophie Campbell
Artist, Main Cover: Belen Ortega

The first story in the book, by regular Supergirl writer Sophie Campbell, picks up shortly after the chaos caused by Supergirl and her movie co-star Lobo (I’m sure that’s a total coincidence) over in Lobo #4. I haven’t actually read that book, but it’s pretty incidental – what you need to know is that there was some destruction and Lobo is sent to rehab, leaving his dog Dawg in the custody of Krypto. Supergirl and Lobo’s daughter Crush take the mighty mutt down to Midvale to hang out while Lobo serves his time. When he comes back looking for his dog, the chaos…well, it resumes.

It’s a simple story. It’s an oddly sweet story, considering the co-stars are Lobo and Crush. But it accomplishes two things very neatly. First of all, it showcases the difference between Superman and Supergirl. Although Superman is pretty much a paragon of hope, and that’s as it should be, Supergirl is less about hope and more about compassion. She feels for people so deeply, but in a different way than her cousin. In the main title, Campbell has spent over a year now telling stories of how Kara has an uncanny ability to turn enemies into friends, and this story showcases that wonderfully.

The other thing this story does is feed the readers into the main title. Although it began in Lobo’s book, the story that snakes through here promises to continue in the pages of Supergirl, and folks who picked this up just for Lobo will get a good taste of what to expect if they decide to follow the storyline into the main series, and that’s all to the good.

Title: Lost Girls
Writer: Gail Simone
Pencils: Emma Kubert
Inks: Sandra Hope

In story #2, Supergirl is going toe-to-toe with a robot menace called Amazonia, one who has a little green friend that might keep Kara on the ropes. Fortunately there’s help nearby in the form of Mary Marvel. Gail Simone is telling a new version of the first meeting between these two girls, and here she leans hard into just how similar they are. Some of the similarities are obvious – they’re both incredibly powerful, both often overshadowed by their more famous relatives. Something that I don’t think anyone has ever really drawn on before, though, is the fact that both of them are orphans. And not in the way that Clark is an orphan either, having grown up on Earth with loving adoptive parents and no real memory of his origin. Nah, Kara and Mary are both girls who lost their families and were kicked around the foster system for a while. Now what with the way each of them have had their origins twisted and changed over the decades, this hasn’t always been true for both of them at the same time, but it is now, and Simone really draws the emotion out of it. The supervillain fight is really just the set-up, what this story is about is two lonely young women who find something they need in one another. It’s really a beautiful story, and I hope that future writers for both of these characters continue to build on the relationship the way it’s depicted here.

Emma Kubert – third generation of the Kubert comic book dynasty – handles the pencils here. I actually haven’t seen a lot of her work here, but I love it. She has a loose style that comes across not QUITE like a cartoon or anime, but not as tight as someone going for “realism” either. It’s the sort of artwork that works for characters like these two, giving us the fanciful but being full of emotion. It reminds me a lot of Campbell’s work on the main Supergirl series or Todd Nauck’s classic run on Young Justice, which is to say I think it’s great.

Title: Who Is Supergirl?
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Cian Tormey

While the first story in this book is valuable for the ongoing series and the second story is the heart of it all, Mark Waid’s tale at the end is what’s going to make this book important for nerds like me. Supergirl’s history as a character has been…let’s say “tumultuous.” In the early days she was Superman’s “secret weapon,” operating from Midvale Orphanage. As she grew up, in the 70s and 80s, she bounced all over the country from one job to another. She died in that whole Crisis on Infinite Earths thing. And when she returned in the pages of Jeph Loeb’s Superman/Batman, she was treated as though she was a brand new character. How the hell do you reconcile all of that?

You call the man who literally wrote The New History of the DC Universe, that’s how.

Story-wise, what we have here is a case of Conner Kent, Jon Kent, and Natasha Irons cleaning up the Justice League’s files and, in the process, recapping Kara’s history. Functionally, we have a story that explains so much of the tumult. Was Superman REALLY so callous as to drop off Kara at an orphanage? (Waid explains it.) Why did she spend so long going from one job to another, one city to another, one COSTUME to another? (Waid explains it.) And Waid also slips in a tidy retcon, reframing the Jeph Loeb story to be that of Kara’s resurrection after the Crisis, rather than her introduction. If you’ve spent the last couple of decades wondering what the hell was going on with Supergirl, exactly, this is the story you absolutely need to read. 

Superman #39

Title: Prime Time Part Four: Superboy-Prime Versus Infinite Crisis (A Reign of the Superboys Tie-In)
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Art and Main Cover: Dan Mora

Oboy, the main event is finally here! At the end of last issue Superboy-Prime discovered who’s been monkeying with him for the past three issues – Superman’s old foe Manchester Black. Black, as it turns out, wasn’t tooootally dead after Lex Luthor used his powers to wipe the memory of Superman’s secret identity from the world (back in Action Comics #1050) and as a disembodied intellect, he thinks Prime may be just the man to give him corporeal form again, if only he gets back to his reality-punching ways from Infinite Crisis. As readers of this title know, of course, Prime is in the middle of a redemption arc, and doing his best NOT to pull the sort of shenanigans Black needs from him. So to wrench what he needs from the boy, Black is sending Prime on a mental tour of his past and a meta-Odyssey through comic books.

It seems like most comic books that play with metafiction do it in one of two ways. Either they restrict themselves to snarky fourth-wall breaking comments (like Deadpool or She-Hulk) or, eventually, they build to a story where the landscape of comic books themselves become a sort of battlefield, whether that’s literal or metaphorical. (This is the literal kind – for the metaphorical version, go back and read Grant Morrison’s Animal Man again.) Since Black can read Prime’s mind, he knows about his medium awareness and weaponizes that against him.

Here’s the tricky part: you can’t just bounce around to a page that looks like Superman: The Animated Series and then take a left turn into Anime and then make some sort of commentary on reboots. I mean, you CAN, but ultimately that would be kind of shallow and unsatisfying. What you need to do – what Joshua Williamson does perfectly – is frame that journey in a true character piece. This is less a struggle of Superboy-Prime vs. Manchester Black and more a story about Prime doing being forced to face up to himself. That’s a damn sight more compelling. And honestly, if you’re not pulling for Superboy-Prime to come out of this a new kind of hero by now, I don’t know if there’s anything that could convince you at this point.

Absolute Superman #20

Title: Reign of the Superman Part Three: Up, Up, And…
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Rafa Sandoval & Vicente Cifuentes
Main Cover: Rafa Sandoval

With King Shazam on the loose, an uneasy alliance forms between Superman, Hawkman, and Steel as they attempt to bring him down. But friction between the heroes makes them almost as dangerous to each other as they are to the villain, and if they can’t get it together, the world may belong to Teth-Adam.

This issue is almost pure brawl – the three heroes fighting King Shazam and, occasionally, each other, on an absolutely massive scale. Sandoval and Cifuentes do a great job of depicting the battle, giving it a scope and a power beyond your average comic book fight. People love to throw around the word “gods” when they talk about superhero comics, using the term to indicate how powerful the characters are supposed to be. This issue doesn’t need it – the art does the job.

The four combatants each get an interesting development here as well. We learn a little about them, we see even more how Superman is being poised to take a place as this universe’s premiere hero. Even the ending, a huge cliffhanger, is the kind of thing that makes him look like a giant among men. (And would make for a hell of an action figure – I’m sorry, I can’t help it.)

Bizarro: Year None #2

Title: Meet the Superfans
Writers: Eric Carrasco & Kevin Smith
Art & Main Cover: Nick Pitarra

Last issue, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White were whisked away by Bizarro to his strange duplicate Earth, there being forced to run his own Daily Planet, which Jimmy (naturally) being in charge, while Perry is tasked with getting coffee. But as they try to piece together the facts about this world that Superman’s imperfect duplicate has created, the two of them start asking questions that may lead to some very uncomfortable answers. 

With Kevin Smith co-writing this story, it would be easy to expect a sort of goofy comedy, as we’ve seen from most of his movies. But people often forget that a good writer is rarely a one-note writer. There’s humor in this book, yes, but towards the end we take a startling turn, and this tale of Bizarro stops feeling quite so fun as we take a turn towards horror. When I reviewed the first issue of this book, I mentioned that it feels like a sort of Bizarro counterpart to Grant Morrison’s All Star Superman. In this issue that becomes even more pronounced – whereas that book is ultimately about the indelible power of hope, this issue is one that explores the potential for terror in a creature with the power of Superman, particularly one whose mind doesn’t work the way that Superman is supposed to.

Nick Pitarra’s Bizarro is really a striking figure. He’s massive, but more wide than we usually see from these characters. His shoulders are broad, but he’s a bit squat, once again contrasting him with the Superman Frank Quitely drew in All Star. I have to believe that all of these choices are deliberate, because they just come together far too neatly for it to be otherwise.

This book was pretty startling, which is a nice trick. It’s going in directions I didn’t expect, but that work nonetheless.

Superman: Father of Tomorrow #2

Title: Parasites
Writer: Kenny Porter
Art & Main Cover: Danny Earls

It’s been twenty years since Jor-El of Krypton was revealed to the world, and in that time, he’s made the Earth of this particular Elseworlds a very different place. Not only has he spent that time as Superman, Earth’s protector, but he’s also been shepherding the planet’s scientific advancements, sharing Kryptonian technology that has transformed the planet. And although he’s surrounded by familiar figures, the shape of this world is turning out to be something quite different than the world we know.

I like how Kenny Porter plays with the supporting cast in this issue. Rather than being “Superman’s Girlfriend,” in this world we see a Lois Lane who has grown to love Jor-El as a father figure, somebody markedly different from her own father, which of course is not a relationship that sits well with Sam Lane. Similarly, we see a Lex Luthor who has worked alongside Superman for years rather than standing as his enemy. Unfortunately, as the Superman of another Earth once observed, there’s just something about Luthor that makes him a poisonous snake, and that doesn’t seem to be any different here. Luthor’s storyline feeds us into the nicely-satisfying last-page cliffhanger, and sets things up for this miniseries to go in a different direction that I find intriguing.

I’m also fascinated with the title of this book and how it’s turned out to be a play on words. Putting “Father” in the title of a story that focuses on Jor-El calls to mind, of course, the fact that his son is Kal-El. But we never see Kal-El in this book, and at one point Jor-El even refers to somebody else as the “closest thing [he has] to a son.” Instead, this is a story about how Jor-El is guiding the future of Earth – he is literally the father “of tomorrow.” It’s a neat little play on words, and I’m a sucker for a good play on words.

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!

blakemp Superman Stuff , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Subscribe to continue reading

Subscribe to get access to the rest of this post and other subscriber-only content.

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

blakemp Superman Stuff , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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. 

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 #4: January 2026 Update

blakemp Superman Stuff , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I don’t want every “Superman Stuff” post to be comic book recaps, hence last week’s post where I talked about the upcoming Spider-Man/Superman and Bizarro: Year None announcements. That said, one of the reasons I wanted to keep this going was so that I could keep talking about the NEW Superman comics as they come out. With that in mind, this week I’m going to give my feelings on some of the Superman-related comics that have been published so far in 2026.

Superman Unlimited#9
Title: Die Laughing Part One
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Mike Norton
Main Cover: Dave Johnson

A series of strange deaths strikes Metropolis, and although they could be accidental, there’s something that makes it feel like they’re linked to an old foe of Superman’s. (I realize I’m playing coy with who the villain is, and they name drop him on the cover, so I guess that’s a little pointless.) Meanwhile, Metropolis’s new Mayor Perry White finds himself a target, and at Steelworks, Jon Kent gets an important warning from a very unexpected source.

There is a LOT of stuff going on in this issue. The main plot regarding Perry White is the through-line, but the story of Jon at Steelworks feels like there’s more going on than is readily apparent, and the ongoing story of the massive Kryptonite meteor that’s fallen to Earth is woven in through what happens in the other plots. What’s more, we also get to see a classic foe and a new collaborator show up here in ways that feel like there’s a lot of story to tell. The way this book is packed is honestly reminiscent of the way stories were structured during the much-missed Triangle Era, and as I read this I felt those pangs of regret that I’m going to have to wait a month for this storyline to continue rather than just one week.

Slott does some of the little character bits he’s so good at here. For instance, we see Clark Kent at a press conference by Mayor Perry White where he acts just like he’s asking questions to any random elected official, and Perry humorously reminds him that he doesn’t exactly have to introduce himself. It’s funny, but it also brings up the idea that it’s kind of unethical to send a reporter to cover a press conference when the guy at the podium happens to be godfather of the reporter’s son. Then again, Clark has been reporting on himself for almost 90 years now, so…

Mike Norton steps up for the artwork this issue, and it makes me wish we saw him drawing Superman more often. His lines are clean and bold, very reminiscent of the style we saw from the likes of Dan Jurgens or Jerry Orway back in the day. Having him on this book feels very, very right. I hope we get to see more of his work on Superman in the future.

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #47
Title: The Merger Part Three: Truth and Consequences
Writer: Mark Waid
Pencils: Adrian Gutierrez
Inks: Vicente Cifuentes
Main Cover: Dan Mora

Fusion – the merged form of Superman and Batman – is in battle with Merger, the Lex Luthor/Joker mashup. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Merger has used Hawkman’s Absorbascon to learn the identities of our heroes and transmit that information all over the planet. Fortunately, Fusion has a whole Justice League to back them up. 

I’ve loved this book since day one, because Mark Waid is clearly having a lot of fun playing around with all these classic pieces of the DC Universe. World’s Finest is set several years in the past, so when the secret is revealed we get to see some things that wouldn’t happen if this story were set today: a more villainous Poison Ivy going after Alfred, or a Lois Lane who is heartbroken to realize that Superman has been hiding under her nose all this time. Waid writes these moments very well, with compelling character work, especially in the Lois Lane scene.

That said, he’s walking a tightrope here, playing with what they sometimes call “Schmuck Bait.” It’s when a story (particularly in an ongoing franchise) teases a development that you know will not or cannot stick. In this case, we know with 100 percent certainty before the issue even begins that the secrets of Superman and Batman’s respective identities will go back in the box, so that lowers the stakes dramatically. The trick is to use this to milk good character beats that will retain their significance even once the actual plot is reversed. He manages to do that here, and even ends the issue with a new little wrinkle that could be brought back later, either in the pages of this book, or in other DC titles set in the current continuity. Either way, there’s potential there.

Supergirl Vol. 8 #9
Title: Resolutions
Writer: Sophie Campbell
Art: Joe Quinones
Main Cover: Sophie Campbell

Continuing the holiday kick this book has been on (the last three issues have been Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas stories, respectively), it’s New Year’s Eve in Midvale, and Supergirl’s squad has been invited to a booze-free party to ring the year in. Lesla, unfamiliar with the effects of alcohol in the first place, is a bit disappointed to learn that it wouldn’t have any effect on her Kryptonian physiology. Lena has an idea for how to fix that little problem. Chaos ensues.

I have to admit, I didn’t see this issue coming. The first half comes across as Campbell trying to do an 80s style “very special episode” about the consequences of drinking, which would actually fit very well in what we’ve gotten from this series so far. The second half, however, takes a rather wild left turn when those consequences actually begin to stack. Stuff happens in this issue that drives a severe wedge in the family of friends Supergirl has built up around her, and I frankly didn’t see it coming. What’s more, Kara herself comes across as kind of cold in this issue – outwardly, at least. The reader gets to see her agonizing over the choices she makes and the way that she’s forced to push away her friends, but to those friends themselves she puts on a face of stoicism that’s really unexpected. Particularly in the case of Lesla, who is arguably a victim here, Kara doesn’t show the usual compassion that we get from her. I’ve been a big supporter of this book, but this is the first issue that feels like a misstep. 

I’ve got no such complaints about the artwork, however. Campbell’s work on this title is great, but whenever she steps aside, they can bring in Joe Quinones to pinch-hit. I love his take on Kara and the rest of the cast, and I especially would like to see more of his version of Kandor. 

Action Comics#1094
Title: Our Superboy at War
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Patricio Delpeche
Main Cover: Ryan Sook

This is an interesting one. The main story here is Superboy – in conjunction with his arrangement with General Sam Lane – being summoned to help with a military operation. Although that’s the A-plot, it’s also the least interesting part of the issue to me. That’s not to say that it’s not handled well – Mark Waid taps into the psyche of Clark Kent and has him go through this storyline in a way that feels very accurate for the character. The issue is that it’s very by-the-book. The beats are predictable, as are Clark’s reactions. I suppose that’s the thing about understanding a character really well – sometimes it can make certain stories feel very rote.

The b-plots in this issue are much more interesting to me. In the early part of the book, Clark has a study date (of sorts) with Lana Lang, and we’re teased with a strange animosity her father has for Clark. In the latter part, he goes on a camping trip with Pete Ross and laments the fact that there’s nobody he can share his secrets with. Both of these segments, to me, were far more satisfying than the A-plot. In each case, Waid is using established elements of the two characters to build them out a bit. For instance, Lana’s father being an archaeologist is a long-standing and well-known piece of the lore, but Waid seems to be using it here in a way that feels somewhat menacing, as though that status has a dark secret that’s going to cause trouble down the line. Pete, on the other hand, is famous for being the character who (in the Silver Age) knows that Clark is Superboy, but doesn’t tell anybody – not even Superboy himself. It definitely seems like we’re trending in that direction, but I trust Waid to do more with the concept than previous writers did. In the meantime, it’s really sad to see Clark upset about his big secret and the fact that there’s nobody else that could possibly understand what it’s like to have his kind of power.

Dang, if only he had some friends. If only he had a Legion of them or something.

Adventures of Superman: House of El#5
Title: I Am the Lantern in the Dark
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art: Scott Godlewski
Main Cover: Scott Godlewski

A Sun-Eater has been unleashed on Lanternholm, the world that serves as the haven for the Lightborn. Superman and Ronan Kent join the fight alongside Ronan’s sister, Rowan. The Lanternholm stuff has actually been the most interesting part of this series yet to me, and I’m glad to see it take center stage in this issue. The DC Universe, let’s face it, has a LOT of potential futures. Some of them are easily compatible with one another, others require a bit more shoehorning to fit in, and this future in particular is at best going to be relegated to an alternate timeline in which Superman never comes home because – come on, let’s be honest here – we know that Superman is going to come home. It’s another example of that Schmuck Bait I mentioned earlier.

But that’s something that could theoretically be used to the story’s advantage. It is impossible for this future to be the “real” future of the DC Universe, so why not take some wilder, braver swings with it? I’d like to know more about what happened to the Lanterns in this future. I’d like to know more about what happens afterwards, with Rowan’s new status at the end of this issue. I’d read a miniseries about that, I’d read a miniseries about her. I’d be excited for it.

Absolute Superman #15
Title: The Never-Ending Begins Part One: In Blue
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Juan Ferreyra
Main Cover: Rafa Sandoval

A new storyline kicks off this issue, although it kicks off in a very low-key way. After the huge win at the end of last issue, Kal-El is trying to settle in, taking over the Kents’ farm and running it the way they would have wanted while, at the same time, operating as Superman around the world. Of course, as the beginning of a new story, new threats are coming in as well, and we see the seeds for a few things planted here. 

It’s nice to have something of a breather this issue, as we see Kal-El spending time with a lot of people, exploring his relationships with both Lois Lane AND Lana Lang, and interestingly enough, even Ra’s Al Ghul. There’s shoe leather to be expended here, building on who each of these people is to our new Superman. What I really like, though, is the direction this series is trending. Clark has traded in his Kryptonian suit for a uniform made for him by Martha, a uniform that speaks to a brighter future for the character. The Absolute Universe is one where Darkseid’s ethos reigns supreme and hope is the underdog…but despite that, Superman still acts as a symbol of that hope, and this issue continues to demonstrate that. 

We also get the first appearance of the Absolute version of one of Superman’s oldest foes, and he’s taken in a very different direction. The Toyman has gone through several incarnations over the years. This one is different from any of them, but it suits the universe we’re living in and still fits the concept of the character fairly well. We also get a cameo by next issue’s big guest star, Hawkman, and recent comments by Scott Snyder that we’ll see a gathering of heroes in this universe sooner or later feel like they’re inching closer to fruition.

DC KO #3
Title: No Mercy
Writers: Scott Snyder & Joshua Williamson
Art: Javi Fernandez & Xermancio
Main Cover: Javi Fernandez

Following December’s “All Fight Month” event, the combatants in the KO tournament have been narrowed down to an “Elite Eight.” The remaining fighters are each given an opportunity to choose a partner to fight alongside in the next battle. However, the one fighter who generated the MOST Omega Energy gets a special prize – their partner may come from ANY level of reality…and that winner is the Joker.

Much as the “All Fight” issues were at their best when used as an examination of character, even the selection of the heroes’ partners serves that same purpose. Some of them are obvious, some of them are understandable, and some of them are baffling. All of them demonstrate something about the character who makes the choice, and it’s writing like that which has elevated DC KO from being just a mindless slugfest into one of the most compelling events the DC Universe has had in ages. 

There’s a running commentary from the Heart of Apokalips throughout the story that focuses heavily on Superman as well – what’s going on in his head, how he’s dealing with the battle, how he handles the fact that he’s got to fight, kill, perhaps even use his friends. What’s more, from the beginning the idea has been that it was okay for the heroes to die or to kill in pursuit of winning the tournament, because whoever wins and gets the Omega Energy at the end will have the ability to reset the universe and fix everything. This issue Snyder really starts to explore what that would actually MEAN. Would anyone – even Superman – have the wherewithal to only turn the clock back to before the tournament, or would that temptation to make the world unto what he thinks would be paradise be too tantalizing?

Also, there are a couple of moments in this issue that are gonna make for great action figures.  

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!