During the Year of Superman, I devoted about an entire monthto the epic 90s saga ofSuperman Red and Superman Blue. After that, I went back and read the original one-off “imaginary story” that partially inspired it. A few months ago, though, I learned of the existence the 1982 Superman Spectacular, a treasury-sized one-shot reprinting a story originally published in Europe by the Egmont Group (the same company responsible for some of the greatest Disney comics of the post-Gold Key era), which was also a different take on that classic story. Had I known about this book last year, I would have tried to hunt it down and include it then. But since I didn’t, it gets a showcase this week in Superman Stuff.
Superman Spectacular #1 Title: The Startling Saga of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue! Plot: Bob Rozakis Script: Paul Kupperberg Pencils: Adrian Gonzales Inks: Vince Colletta Cover: Adrian Gonzales
Our titanic tale begins when Lex Luthor – this is in his fun and feisty Bronze Age mad scientist era – sends a hologram to a Daily Planet staff meeting to boast that he’s going to pull a heist at S.T.A.R. Labs in an hour. When Superman heads out to thwart him, Luthor attacks with synthetic magic energy (I know, I thought the same thing) generated by a S.T.A.R. experiment. Superman takes precautions, expecting a trap, and defeats Luthor, who turns out to be yet another duplicate – a robot this time.
In space, the real Luthor is approached by Terra-Man, a now-obscure villain that they were REALLY trying to push into the A-list at the time. The Pre-Crisis Terra-Man was literally a child abducted from the old west and raised by aliens. He grew up, killed the aliens, tamed another alien that resembled a pegasus, and came back to Earth in the modern day to be a supervillain for some reason. Why they were trying so hard to make him one of the big guns is beyond me. But having found a chunk of the one substance deadly to Superman, Terra-Man and Luthor decide to partner up and destroy him together. Terra is smart enough not to trust Lex, though, and only speaks to him via an 80s sci-fi Zoom meeting, which turns out to cause a problem, as we shall soon see.
Terra-Man attacks Metropolis with a meteor shower, interrupting a date between Superman and Lois (RIGHT before she was about to say the big L-word to him too), and the Man of Steel jumps into action only to fall right into their Kryptonite trap…but instead of killing him, the Kryptonite wave splits him into two, a red and a blue Superman. Lex and Terra-Man hadn’t met in PERSON to discuss their plans, you see, and on his black-and-white monitor, Lex didn’t realize that Terra-Man had a chunk of RED Kryptonite, not the fatal green variety. If you’re not up on your DCU science, red Kryptonite doesn’t kill a Kryptonian but rather has a different, random effect on them every time they’re exposed to it. (You may have seen classic covers with Superman having an ant head or turning into a giant or something – these were usually red K tales.) Anyway, as the Supermen stop the meteors, although one of them is briefly perplexed when his super-breath temporarily stops working as they’re trying to blow the meteors away. The villains escape and Luthor proceeds to activate his next plan, opening up a magical portal to another dimension, because that’s the kind of thing mad scientists do.
The twin Supermen stumble over one another at the Planet offices, then discover that some of their powers seem to cut in and out whenever they go into action. Despite that, they charge into battle against the two villains. As Blue battles Terra-Man in space and Red fights Luthor on Earth, Blue finally cracks the secret that the reader figured out 20 pages earlier – the two of them are sharing their powers, and only one of them can use any given power at a time. The realization is a bit too late for Red – on Earth, Lex’s sudden magical expertise has him on the ropes. Fortunately for him, the red Kryptonite wears off at just that second and he fades away, re-fusing with Blue in space. The fully restored Superman makes short work of Terra-Man, but returns to Earth to find that Lex’s magical prowess has intensified. In the ensuing battle, Lois Lane is hurled into a wall and nearly killed. Superman rushes to her side and tries to think of a scientific way to save her, a magical way to save her…but ultimately he discards both of those choices and brings her back with…
Okay, I’m just gonna quote the book here.
“Superman knows…of a force mightier than science and magic…mightier even than himself! And though the world would likely go on anyway, he calls upon this greatest of powers – the deity the people of Krypton called Rao! We know that force by other names on Earth – across the dimensions, in every universe, it is also known…it is love.”
Yeah, Superman saves Lois from the brink of death with the Power of Love. Which is also evidently what the Kryptonian sun-god Rao is. I wonder if Huey Lewis had any idea when he wrote that song.
What an odd little book. So strange, so utterly Bronze Age Superman. There are a lot of fun ideas and some nice moments when Red and Blue butt heads a little bit, although unlike the later version of the story it’s because they’re TOO MUCH alike rather than too different from one another. Maybe it comes from growing up in an era where a story like this would have lasted at least three or four issues, but the whole thing feels somewhat rushed to me. It’s like the storytellers had the basic idea, then once they figured they’d gotten all the mileage they could out of the split Superman concept, they wrapped it up as quickly as possible. But it’s fun to read, despite all of that. I’m honestly quite surprised we haven’t seen it reprinted for over 40 years, and I wonder if Egmont technically owns it. I can’t think of any other reason it’s sitting in obscurity when so many other books show up again and again.
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!
Thaaaat’s right, once again, it’s time to take a look at some of the recent Superman-related comics that DC has turned out for us. Including another heapin’ helpin’ of Mark Waid, a dash of dandy Dan Mora, more-a of those Superboys reignin’, and Superman’s return to Elseworlds!
Action Comics #1098 Title: Future Shock Part Two (A Reign of the Superboys tie-in) Writer: Mark Waid Artists: Skylar Patridge and Patricia Delpeche Main Cover: Ryan Sook
The time-tossed team of Martian Manhunter, Booster Gold, and Mary Marvel are in Smallville with Clark Kent early in his career as Superboy, and it’s not looking good when they learn that the villain they chased into the past, Epoch, has stolen the rocket that brought baby Kal-El to Earth in the first place. There’s a fight and a face-off, which of course is to be expected in a superhero comic book, but none of that is where this issue really shines. The heart of the book comes in the middle section, as Jonathan and Martha recount the story of how they found the baby to the time-travelers. Waid, of course, recently cleaned up DC’s timeline with his New History of the DC Universe series, so if there’s anybody we can consider an expert on what’s currently canon and what isn’t, it’s probably him. Seeing the current version of Superman’s origin presented answers a few questions and clarifies things, and leads to a surprisingly sweet moment between J’onn and the Kents.
As with last issue, though, I’m absolutely loving the Mary/Clark dynamic. I really like the characterization of Mary as the older sibling of the Marvel family, and she carries that over here to her interactions with Clark, leading to a delightful scene where she decides to play wingwoman for him in his relationship with Lana. It’s a highly entertaining moment, although I do very much wonder if we’ll ever see a scene after Superman returns in the present timeline where the two of them talk about this.
Strong artwork by Skylar Patridge and Patricia Delpeche give the issue a sort of finishing touch. With issue #1100 coming up, it seems as though the time-missing Superman storyline is about to come to an end, but I hope that doesn’t mean an end to Waid’s time in Smallville, because these stories have been a lot of fun.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #51 Title: Warlords Part One Writer: Mark Waid Artist: Adrian Gutierrez Main Cover: Dan Mora
Over in World’s Finest, which is ALSO set in the past (early in the partnership of Superman, Batman, and the Dick Grayson Robin), it’s time for a trip to the Arctic. Our heroes are tracking the flight path of a missing Air Force pilot, one who vanished on the same trajectory as another missing pilot, one Travis Morgan. Of course, the world’s finest get zapped to the out-of-time world of Skartaris and find themselves fighting alongside Morgan, the Warlord, in battle against the mysterious Tyrant Rex. Robin, of course, is wild about the dinosaurs. Superman is less wild about the magic flying around this little corner of the DC Universe.
I’ve never gotten super into Warlord. Its heyday was before my time as a comic book reader, and the various attempts to bring him back over the years have never quite landed. That said, I do enjoy watching Waid play with all the toys available in the DC Universe, and this is no exception. He used the time differential between the “normal” world and Skartaris to good effect here, changing things up for our heroes almost immediately upon entering the lost land, and Batman and Robin are thrust into rescue mode fairly early.
Gutierrez draws some wildly fun dinosaurs, and he really sells the “acting” with the characters’ faces, particularly Robin, whom we are reminded time and again is pretty young in this series. He behaves like a younger version of the Dick Grayson we know – a little more impulsive, a little less confident, but still with the same solid heart.
This remains one of my favorite series that DC is putting out.
Superman Unlimited #13 Title: Primal Fears (A Reign of the Superboys tie-in Writer: Dan Slott Artist: Lucas Meyer Main Cover: Taurin Clarke
This issue starts with the greatest character in comics, Bibbo Bibbowski, taking care of the monkey he found last issue. Some goons from the lab the monkey escaped show up trying to get him back, and things get much rougher than they expected. The time-tossed younger version of Jon Kent, meanwhile, is having nightmares about the torture he endured at the hands of Ultraman, while the older Jon – now calling himself Tomorrow Man – finds that a masked hero in Metropolis doesn’t necessarily enjoy the same kind of trust from the public that he may be used to. The two Jons are called into action when the super-monkey starts tearing it up.
I’m not going to keep playing coy here – the story works great as a reintroduction of Beppo the Super-Monkey into the DC Universe, although the origin that Slott chooses for him here has a lot of 90s flavor to it, bringing back the long-missing Dabney Donovan character. I also like the dynamic he’s playing with the two Jons and Lois, who is far too smart not to figure out what the deal is with Tomorrow Man, and Slott seems to be leaning into that. I really don’t know what the endgame of this particular storyline is going to be, and that’s a nice feeling in a day and age where everything gets spoiled yesterday. It’s a longshot, but I think that if things shook out with young Jon/Superboy and old Jon/Tomorrow Man coexisted in the DCU long-term, I’d be okay with it.
Of course, Jon is still wearing the “S” over in New Titans, so that’s probably not going to happen.
Supergirl #13 Title: Hero of Kandor Part Three (A Reign of the Superboys tie-in) Writer, Artist, & Main Cover: Sophie Campbell
Kara’s adventure in Kandor continues. With Black Flame causing chaos, Supergirl – now stuck with some cyborg parts, in case you missed last issue – tracks down Lesla-Lar to try to get her help. Lesla, meanwhile, has something very, very important to show our heroine, and it might just change things for Kara Zor-El for good.
It really feels like Campbell has been building up to this story since issue #1, and that’s a great thing. All of the stuff with Lesla and Lena and Kara showing her constant compassion and trust in people who were once her enemies is paying off in really interesting and unexpected ways. Ultimately, we still aren’t 100 percent sure what side Lesla is going to land on once all of this is over, and Campbell has set it up in such a way that either choice would be conceivably in-character. That’s quite a trick, and it’s pulled off impressively.
If there’s anything to complain about, it’s that the whole “Reign of the Superboys” tie-in feels more tacked on than ever. Conner finally makes it into Kandor in this issue, but he’s only around for a couple of frankly unnecessary pages before the story moves back to Kara. It really feels as though Campbell had the story planned and in the works when editorial put out an edict that Conner Kent had to feature into these post-DC KO issues somehow, then she just kind of crowbarred him in where she could while causing minimal disruption to the narrative. If that’s the case, then it’s a failure on editorial’s part, not Campbell’s, and the pages without Conner at all work just fine at telling an interesting, gripping story that only really could be told with Kara Zor-El.
Superman #38 Title: Prime Time Part Three (A Reign of the Superboys tie-in) Writer: Joshua Williamson Artist and Main Cover: Dan Mora
I didn’t have a Superboy-Prime/Witchfire pairing on my 2026 wish list, but here we are. Witchfire, a magic user from Kurt Busiek’s fun and forgotten series Power Company, is looking for an innocent soul to use in a spell she needs. Unfortunately, she has TOTALLY misread the aura of that cute guy at the comic shop. All is not lost, though – Superboy-Prime IS in the midst of a redemption arc, after all, and this seems like just the way to do it.
Williamson is clearly having fun with this. He leans more into the meta nature of Prime in this issue, and the last act of the book dives into it headfirst, with the return of this arc’s true villain and Prime being thrust into what is possibly his own worst nightmare. But the amazing, encouraging thing here is that we never feel like his attempts at redemption are fake or forced or cheap. Williamson has successfully convinced us that Prime sincerely wants to reform and become a hero like he always wanted, and despite the horrific crimes he committed in the past (some of which we are specifically reminded of in this issue), the reader finds themselves rooting for him. It’s an odd feeling, to look at someone who once casually slaughtered Teen Titans like they were nothing and find yourself pulling for him. But the whole thing kind of plays into a personal philosophy of redemption that I subscribe to. I’ve got to believe – hell, for the good of the WORLD I’ve got to believe – that redemption is possible. And that if someone truly wants to become a better person today than they were yesterday, at the very least they deserve the opportunity to TRY.
Admittedly, applying that philosophy to a murderer is totally on the extreme end, but just ask yourself how many bad guys joined the heroes on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and tell me if what’s going on with Prime here is really all that different.
Dan Mora’s artwork, as usual, is wonderful. I’ve talked before about how some artists are good at “acting” with their characters, and this issue is a fantastic example of that – the sweet, nervous flirtation between C.K. and Rebecca is written not only on their faces, but in their body language as well. It’s such a small thing, but it adds so much to the story. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I almost don’t want the real Superman to come back to this title just yet, because I’m not ready for this story to end.
Justice League Unlimited #19 Title: Amnesty Part One Writer: Mark Waid Artist and Main Cover Dan Mora
Speaking of redemption, why don’t we peek in on what the Justice League is doing, shall we? Lex Luthor went public with the League’s plan to offer amnesty to certain super villains as part of their larger plan to fortify the defenses against the darkness they know is coming (that’s what DC All In is all about, Charlie Brown), and as you might have expected, public perception is NOT what the League may have hoped for. Meanwhile, Guy Gardner’s team is en route to Oa to hide the Power Bank with backups of the Leaguers’ respective super-powers, and Superboy (Conner) and Steel (Natasha) get a nasty surprise when they’re hanging out with Air Wave.
I mentioned this last issue, but I love the way that Mark Waid is juggling so many storylines at once. The “main” story, the one with Lex Luthor working with the League’s big guns and (in this issue, at least) rounding up villains who are falsely claiming amnesty, is really fascinating. Luthor, as a character, is the sort who always has something up his sleeve and you can never actually trust him, but considering what he and the other participants in the KO tournament know about the future, this is a case where it’s possible that he really is being genuine, even his motives are ultimately selfish. The fun here is trying to figure out just exactly HOW much is self-interest and self-preservation.
The other storylines are looked at quickly, but progress as well. Guy Gardner and the Justice Gang (if you’re gonna use the characters from the movie I’m gonna use the name from the movie) naturally run into some problems in the course of their mission, and just when you thought poor Air Wave’s troubles were over, they get worse. I’m looking forward to seeing them take the forefront next issue.
Dan Mora – have I mentioned that Dan Mora is really, really freaking good at what he does? And he’s doing it TWICE A MONTH. Plus about a billion covers. Dude is a machine.
Superman: Father of Tomorrow #1 Title: Planetfall Writer: Kenny Porter Artist and Main Cover: Danny Earl
I’ve been waiting for this ever since DC announced they were bringing back the Elseworlds imprint. While alternate versions of Superman have featured in some of the books like Dark Knights of Steel or the Gotham By Gaslight sequels, this is the first of the new Elseworlds to explicitly be a Superman comic.
Not Kal-El, mind you, but I’ll take what I can get.
In Father of Tomorrow, the catch is that rather than Kal-El, it was JOR-El who escaped Krypton’s destruction and came to Earth, Similarly to what happened to his son in the main universe, he crashes to Earth in Smallville, Kansas, and is taken in by the Kents, who pass him off as Jonathan’s younger brother, Jordan. Jordan lives with the Kents, hiding the truth of his alien ancestry for years, until something happens that spurs him to come out of hiding and use his power and advanced Kryptonian technology to make the Earth a better place.
This first issue is intriguing. Porter uses a lot of familiar Superman elements, characters, and even standard plot points from various versions of Superman’s origin to put together this story, but the fact that it’s about an adult Jor-El instead of baby Kal-El twists things in curious ways. Jor-El is well-meaning, to be certain, but by the end of the first issue we start to get an ominous feeling that perhaps his good intentions are going to lead him down a dark path.
I don’t want this to be yet another “evil Superman” story by the end of it, but let’s be honest here. It’s an Elseworlds, and an awful lot of the classic Elseworlds stories had tragic endings. It wouldn’t be out of character for that to happen here.
I like Danny Earls’ artwork. His designs for Jor-El’s costume and the Kryptonian technology are unique and exciting, and contrast the idyllic small-town feel of Smallville in just the right way.
So far so good, folks. Let’s see if you can keep it going.
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!
As you may have heard, I’m a bit of a nerd. And also a bit of a collector. I like toys and figures and knicknacks. I like cool stuff. And of course, I also like Superman. These are a pair of passions that, as you can imagine, collide frequently.
At some point I decided to build a little spot in my classroom where I’d showcase my love of the Man of Steel. The Superman Shelves have grown over the years, and every year at about this time when I’m packing up the classroom for the summer I start to ponder things like whether I should cut back on what I have on display or just buy more shelves for the fall. This year, though, as I started to put things away, I decided to do a little visual documentation of the various and sundry Superman-related items I had on the shelves. Then, because I am in fact that kind of nerd, I decided to do the same with the various and sundry Superman-related items I have at home.
And then, because it’s 2026 and nothing is real unless it’s preserved on the internet, I decided to share some of the collection with you.
There are frankly ENTIRELY too many of these things for me to share them all in one blog entry, so I’m going to break them up into many different ones. Or maybe it’ll just be this first post and it’ll turn out to be a dud so I never try something like this again. That’s the fun of the thing – not to know.
I’m going to start our journey through Blake’s Superman Shelves with the LEGO section. Among the many things I’m nerdy about is LEGO. I love LEGO. I love building, because it’s a kind of nice mental break – the fun of creation without the stress of doing it from whole cloth. I love collecting the figures, because I love the idea of mixing and matching characters from different worlds all in the same style. I’m even enough of a dork that I insist on capitalizing all of the letters in LEGO just like you’re officially supposed to do, and I know that LEGO is the name of the system, whereas the individual pieces are NOT called “Legos” but, more appropriately, LEGO bricks. If anybody is still reading after all that, you’re my kinda people.
Some of the figures I’m about to show you are from actual, official LEGO sets. Others are figures that I bought from customizers, people who print on blank figures to create characters or versions of characters that don’t have an official release. You can find these guys at most conventions, and I always check out their selection when I see them. It’s an awesome way to build out your world.
In this first collage, we see the figures of Superman himself that I’ve got on display. At the top left is a Superman from the sadly-defunct LEGO Dimensions video game. I’m not a gamer, but when I heard about this game that allowed you to mix and match characters from dozens of different universes in LEGO form, I was sorely tempted. I never took the plunge, though. This figure was actually given to me by a student, and it came with the base that I used to take the pictures with the rest of these figures. Next to him you’ve got a DC Rebirth-era Superman and a Superman from the 2025 movie, which inexplicably had no LEGO sets.
In the next row you’ve got another fairly standard Superman, although this one has a rubber cape, a black suit Superman from Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and Superman in his Santa Claus outfit along with a sack of toys, unless he’s going to Lex Luthor’s house, in which case it is undoubtedly coal.
The next collage are members of the Superman family or Superman-adjacent characters. At the top we’ve got two versions of Supergirl, one from the Melissa Benoist TV show and one of Supergirl going to the same Christmas party as her cousin. On the bottom row is a 2025 Krypto, who I got at the same convention where I got the 2025 Superman. Next to him is Lex Luthor in his Superman armor, which was an official LEGO release that came in a minibag by itself. And on the end is Sloth from Goonies, another LEGO Dimensions figure, who I include among the Superman shelves because…I mean, come on.
The last image is a couple of extras that don’t go with the other figures on their usual board. Superman in his mech suit came from a release that came out many years ago, which also had a Lex Luthor and Wonder Woman figure. Next to him is a Superman keychain with a flashlight in his foot – this guy was a gift from my wife’s best friend (and maid of honor at our wedding) Natalie, who also gave Erin a similar Harley Quinn figure at the same time.
There we are, guys, the first glimpse at Blake’s Superman Shelves. I’ve got a LOT more where this came from, so if you enjoyed this peek and want to see more, let me know!
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!
Another roundup of reviews, starting with some of the comics that were dropped on Superman Day back on April 18. I didn’t bother reviewing the reprint books (many of which I’ve covered before during the Year of Superman), but there are a couple with new material that I wanted to showcase, both featuring Supergirl. Let’s dig in!
Supergirl: The World (Superman Day Special Edition) Title: (Story 1) Supergirl Y La Maliciosa, (Story 2) The Extraction Writer/Artist: (Story 1) Aneke Writer: (Story 2) Yann Krehl Artist: (Story 2) Marie Sann Main Cover: Joelle Jones
DC’s line of The World anthologies is an interesting concept. Round up comic book creators from different parts of…well…it’s the title. And then have them do a story about that book’s star set in their home country. The first three featured Batman, the Joker, and Superman (which I reviewed last year), and this summer it’s going to be Kara’s turn. This Superman Day special previews two of the stories from that book.
In the first story, by Aneke, Supergirl visits an art museum in Spain and overhears a conversation about a mountain featured in one of the paintings, one that is supposedly the home of a witch. Curious, she sets out to visit the mountain, “La Maliciosa,” and finds a climber with a bit of a secret. It’s a simple story that kind of has a Bronze Age feel to it, echoing the kind of things that we’d get from the Supergirl comics of the era. The art is really quite lovely. Whether it was intentional or not, Aneke invokes the same feel as Bilquis Evely’s work on Woman of Tomorrow, which is nicely appropriate. The second story is “The Extraction,” by Yann Krehl and Marie Sann. In this one, after the Justice League liberates a group of aliens that were being held captive and subject to experiments in Germany, Supergirl is sent undercover to try to locate one lost extraterrestrial that managed to escape before its comrades were freed. It’s a fun story, with gorgeous art by Sann preventing it from feeling as dark as the premise would suggest. The pages look like art from a modern Disney movie more than your average superhero comic, and that works exceptionally well.
No doubt when the full anthology drops on June 2, there will be a mixture of hits and misses. These two are a nice appetizer, and I’m looking forward to reading the book.
Supergirl’s Zoo-Per Heroes: Krypto’s Big Break (Superman Day Special Edition) Writer, Artist, AND Cover: Rob Justus
Last year cartoonist Rob Justus brought us the early reader’s graphic novel Superman’s Good Guy Gang, featuring Hawkgirl and Guy Gardner, who you may have heard were in a movie with Big Blue last summer. This year he comes back with a new book that also seems poised to whet the appetite of the kiddies anticipating this year’s cinematic adventure. An accident somehow transfers the powers of the Justice League to a group of zoo animals, and it’s up to Supergirl and Krypto to fix things. The book also includes a preview of the sequel to Good Guy Gang, Follow the Leader, in which the one character who was bafflingly missing from last year’s book joins the fun. I like Justus’s sensibility a lot. It reminds me of Art Baltazar and Franco’s Tiny Titans, albeit lighter on the inside jokes for longtime readers. But these two previews promise a pair of silly, fun books that seem like they’ll be perfect for the superhero fan who’s just learning to read.
Superman Unlimited #12 Title: Besides Myself (a Reign of the Superboys tie-in) Writer: Dan Slott Artist: Lucas Meyer Main Cover: Taurin Clarke
Last issue Jon Kent met Master Txyn, a more malevolent imp than our usual pal Mxyzptlk, whose taunting of the young Kryptonian prompted him to take on a new identity, Tomorrow Man. But before the sewing needle on his costume had time to cool Jon found a whole new complication dropping in his lap: a time-displaced version of himself from one of the most traumatic parts of his past.
This issue, he decides to take young Jon to Lois, who just happens to be getting a visit from Batman and Robin (checking in on her in Superman’s continued absence). Adult-Jon decide to keep his own identity a secret, although Slott at least lampshades the fact that he’s got an uphill battle trying to keep a secret in a room that includes the world’s greatest detective, the world’s greatest investigative journalist, and his own best friend. Meanwhile, the El Cadero storyline moves along a little big as well, with the Kryptonite-rich nation announcing plans to use it as an energy source. However, more nefarious purposes seem to be in the works as well, and an escapee of an experiment makes a new friend.
Part of me almost wishes that this book was setting up a new status quo for the Superman titles. I’ve never liked the fact that we lost the child Jonathan in lieu of a teenage version (you may have heard me mention this once or twice), and the idea of having Young Jon living with Lois and Clark again while still having Grown-Up Jon doing his thing wouldn’t be the worst compromise. However, the Jon we have in this issue isn’t the one that I miss. This is a kid who has already undergone some horrific stuff, and grappling to deal with it looks like it’s going to be part of the character arc here.
Slott has a little fun with the other characters here as well. Damian Wayne’s highly paranoid nature comes right into play, as it probably should, and one of my favorite supporting characters in the whole Superman family shows up in the B-plot, making for a delightfully absurd exchange right out of a Looney Tunes short.
I’m really not sure where Slott is going with this story, but I’m interested in it, which hopefully comes across as the compliment that it’s intended as.
Superman #37 Title: Prime Time Part Two (a Reign of the Superboys tie-in) Writer: Joshua Williamson Artist: Dan Mora Main Cover: Dan Mora
The Superboy-Prime saga continues this issue. Having settled in to his new life in Metropolis, Prime seems to be doing okay. He’s helping people, beating villains, and despite his tardiness he’s even making ground at his new job at the comic book store. But his past hangs over his head, with the Justice League tracking him down when he goes for a simple dinner with the Kents in Smallville. An encounter in Gotham City doesn’t go much better. What’s a reformed mass murderer with fourth wall awareness to do?
I’m really quite surprised to see this issue pull back from the “main” storyline for what is mostly 20 pages of character building…surprised, but not at all disappointed. Williamson’s re-casting of Prime into someone trying to atone for his past is working surprisingly well. What’s more, he’s even carving out a fairly unique place for the character but putting together bits and pieces of various other characters. Sure, he’s got Superman’s powers, but he’s got an awareness of his comic book origins that’s playing with in a different way than characters like Deadpool or She-Hulk. And now it seems like Williamson is adding on a healthy dollop of what can only be termed “the ol’ Parker luck.” Somehow, all of this is coming together to make for a really entertaining character.
Dan Mora’s work is as phenomenal as ever, and he’s got a LOT going on in this issue. Despite the fact that the action is relatively low, he still manages to deliver a great (if brief) fight scene in the sewers of Gotham and some really excellent “acting” on the faces of the characters, particularly Jonathan and Martha Kent. All of the Superman books are solid right now, but I would never have believed a year ago that a title starring Superboy-Prime would be the gem of the line.
Absolute Superman #19 Title: Red Steel in the Hour of Chaos (Reign of the Superman Part Two) Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Rafa Sandoval Main Cover: Rafa Sandoval
Last issue Superman, Lois, and a newcomer with a hammer named John Henry Irons broke into Lazarus only to find a captive who’s been off the board for millennia: Teth-Adam, alias King Shazam. This issue is a lot of fight and a little backstory, filling in some of the history of this Absolute Universe. It’s a good reminder that this isn’t just a “What If?” scenario, where there’s a single point of divergence that separates this universe from the DCU that we know, but rather a universe that was shaped in the image of Darkseid from its very inception.
To me, to a guy whose favorite Superman side-character is Steel, I’m really happy to see their version of him show up. Like the mainstream version, we’re presented with a man blessed with a great mind and great compassion, cursed to live in a world where it seems like neither of those things are valued. Like Superman himself, he seems to be the kind of person that’s clinging to hope in this world where such a thing is more of a liability than an asset.
Sandoval’s artwork is sharp as heck. Any time you pit a Kryptonian against somebody with the power of Shazam, you’re going to have to be ready to bring the scale that such a face-off demands, and Sandoval does a great job really selling this as a conflict that reaches a global scale.
Every time I think I can’t find enough good things to say about this series, I find more.
Adventures of Superman: House of El #8 Title: The Wizard and the Queen Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson Artist: Cian Tormey Main Cover: Scott Godlewski
As Superman heads to Tamaran, he finds yet another descendant (because apparently in this future the sentient population of the universe is roughly 57 percent House of El) coming under fire. Meanwhile, Ronan and Rowan Kent face off against Pyrrhos the Red and learn the shocking (yawn) truth about his origins.
I’d hoped that the return of Rowan Kent would help this series pick up, as she’s been the element that I’ve been most interested in so far, but alas. We don’t explore her corner of the universe, but rather delve back into all of the Els that are running around, apparently reproducing like Kardashians on a bad day. Johnson just keeps throwing more and more things at the reader, and it’s not sticking. The story is trying to be Dune and it’s trying to be Game of Thrones and there’s a healthy chunk taken from Arthurian Legend, and when you put it all together you’ve got something that’s just not working for me.
There are a thousand characters running around here and, despite the fact that it seems like they’re all related to Superman, I don’t care enough about any of them to keep track of who they are. When this series is over, I’m going to have to go back and try reading the whole thing in one go. I’m just not getting into it, and I don’t know if that’s because there’s not enough to keep my interest alive from one month to the next or if it’s really just as big a mess as it feels like.
DC X Sonic the Hedgehog: Metal Legion #1 Title: Metal Legion Part One Writer: Ian Flynn Artist: Adam Bryce Thomas Main Cover: Pablo M. Collar
The first DC/Sonic crossover last year was a lot of silly fun, so I wasn’t surprised when this sequel was announced. I was a little surprised, though, when the book jumps right into a massive status quo change: portals have appeared all over the globe, seemingly stable portals that connect the Justice League’s Earth to Sonic’s world. With travel between the two worlds now simple and safe, the heroes of both universes reconnect with their old friends. Of course, the more paranoid amongst them (Batman and Shadow, obviously) are in the business of investigating the portals, finding clues that point to some old foes.
Most of this issue is just showing the heroes bouncing back and forth between worlds and partnering up with the friends they made last time: Flash and Sonic having a race, Amy joining Wonder Woman and the rest of the Amazons in battle against Hades, and Knuckles and Superman introducing Supergirl and Krypto to someone they know will get along with them famously. I like the fact that the story seems to be expanding in scope this time as well. Besides Supergirl and Krypto, it seems like this time the Titans are joining in on the fun, and the last page promises to bring in more of the DC’s less savory elements as well. This is one of those first issues that feels more prologue than actual beginning, with only the scene in Gotham and the last few pages where we meet our villains actually seeming to progress the plot. That doesn’t bother me much, but it does suggest that this is a story that’s been paced for the inevitable collected edition.
New Titans #34 Title: The Future is Tomorrow Part Two Writer: Tate Brombal Artist: Sami Basri Main Cover: Taurin Clarke
I gave the first issue for this new direction of Titans a lot of grace, because it was a new writer that was just beginning to set up a new path for the team. This issue we’re starting to see the shape a little bit, and while there are things that I like, others have me skeptical.
Part One of this story showed up the classic Titans line-up trapped in some sort of time bubble, bouncing around to different parts of their history and seemingly unaware of what was going on. It wasn’t until the last-page incursion of a new group of younger heroes (including Jonathan Kent, which is why I’m including it in “Superman Stuff”) that the spell started to crack. This issue we learn more: the pocket reality the Titans have been existing in was created by an aftermath of what happened in the whole DC KO extravaganza, and the newbies are apparently young heroes the Titans have had their eyes on as potential recruits.
All of that is perfectly fine. What’s bothering me here is more the way these new Titans are introduced. We get a few pages of narration explaining that these folks were selected because they’re the FUTURE and they’re gonna be SO AWESOME and dear GOD, do I hate that. The old writing adage of “show, don’t tell” isn’t always true – sometimes, you’ve GOTTA tell to get the point across. But when it comes to convincing the reader how great a character is, telling is perhaps the worst thing you can do. If a writer starts expounding upon how wonderful a character is without actually doing the work of crafting a story that allows them to demonstrate their awesomeness, that’s an immediate turn-off to me. And often, it’s a black mark against the character that takes some writing rehab to escape.
That said, it’s a relatively short sequence in this issue that bothers me. If it was just a one-off thing and the rest of the story works, I can be forgiving of it. It’ll all come down to what else Brombal does in this arc, I think, as to whether this newest iteration of the Titans is going to be able to stand on its own.
Justice League Unlimited #18 Title: Aftermath Part Two Writer: Mark Waid Artist: Clayton Henry Main Cover: Dan Mora
Superman is still missing, and does not appear in this issue. In fact, as far as actual members of the family go, only Supergirl makes a (one-panel) appearance. But the thumbprint of our boy blue is all over this issue, so I really want to talk about it, and it’s my blog, so nyeah.
In the aftermath (hence the title) of DC KO, the participants were each given a glimpse of the future, including a dire warning about an upcoming battle that will make their struggle against Darkseid pale in comparison. In recognition of the threat, something that goes beyond normal concepts of “good” and “evil,” the Justice League is implementing an amnesty program, inviting supervillains who promise to be on their best behavior to join them – including Lex Luthor. Lex being Lex, of course, he’s got his own agenda, but at the very least it doesn’t seem to run COUNTER to the whole “saving the entirety of creation” thing the Justice League has going on, so we’re gonna cross our fingers for the moment.
It’s not the first time, by any means, that we’ve seen the toy with Lex playing hero, but they’ve always found different ways to go about it, which I rather enjoy. Waid also has done good work selecting which characters to feature here (Giganta is another one who joins the amnesty program, and one for whom rehabilitation seems far more possible than, say, the Joker). And they even get to show us what failsafes they’ve put in place to make sure the bad guys trying to break good remain on their best behavior. In fact, Waid is really embracing the “unlimited” part of the title here, expanding the cast even beyond its already-impressive roster and running multiple storylines that all weave in and out of each other. In addition to the Lex Luthor story, we also get to see a mission to Oa comprised of Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, and Metamorpho (wait…where have I seen THAT group together before?), as well as the beginning of the time-travel mission starring J’onn J’onzz, Mary Marvel, and Booster Gold that Waid is exploring over in the pages of Action Comics.
While the larger “All In” storyline is playing out across the DC Universe, this title really feels like the core of the whole thing, and I certainly hope anybody who’s following this is paying attention.
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!
It’s time again, friends – the crossover gods have descended upon us for the second of the two crossover specials featuring the Man of Tomorrow and the Friendly Neighborhood Arachnid. And I almost hate to say it, but this one may even be better than the first.
Marvel/DC: Superman/Spider-Man #1
Main Cover: Pepe Larraz. Like the last one, though, this issue was released with over forty different covers, which is absolutely absurd, but I once again would totally be willing to buy a special that collected all of the various covers of the two volumes. Maybe a charity special or something? Pay attention, people.
In the first book in this series, Mark Waid gave us a tale of a Superman and Spider-Man who were clearly old friends. This issue seems to greet the two of them relatively early in their association, picking up in the middle of a story that has trapped the two of them in a building collapse that includes a dose of Kryptonite, forcing Spider-Man to try to keep them alive as Superman struggles against the radiation.
And that’s just how it starts.
The story, ostensibly, is about the two heroes in combat with their respective arch-foes, Lex Luthor and the Green Goblin. But honestly the identity of the villains couldn’t matter less. The bulk of the story is built up around these two heroes trapped together in a harrowing situation and just…talking. Getting to know one another. Learning who each other are. The supervillain plot wraps up with several pages left, and we follow Clark and Peter into their respective civilian lives as well, including a final sequence that should touch the hearts of anybody who loves these two characters.
Meltzer knows Superman so incredibly well, and the way he plays Superman’s strengths into Spider-Man’s inherent insecurities builds up BOTH characters and makes them better, stronger, and more inspiring. I’ve seen articles online drooling over a few panels where the Venom symbiote snares Superman as if that’s what this story is about. It’s a perfectly good sequence, but Peter taking his Aunt May for dinner at the Kent farm is where the soul of this story is, and that soul is utterly beautiful.
Title: Spider-Man Noir and Superman in “Metropolis Marvels Writer: Dan Slott Pencils: Marcos Martin
The first backup in this issue dives into the world of Spider-Man Noir, where the friendly fedora’d webslinger is targeting the kingpin of crime: Lex Luthor. But Noir’s more violent tactics bring him into conflict with a Superman pulled from the pages of Fleischer cartoons. The story is fun, and Martin’s artwork is fantastic (especially a page where Superman ‘38 gives us a quick homage to Amazing Fantasy #15), but as turned out to be the case with many of these back-ups, it was over too quickly and felt somewhat rushed.
Title: Gwen Stacy and Lana Lang in “Sweethearts” Writer: Joe Kelly Art: Humberto Ramos
A college-age Lana Lang and Gwen Stacy meet up on campus and strike up a quick friendship, fueled at least in part as the two of them talk about the mysterious goody two-shoes men in their lives that they just can’t seem to shake. This bite-size story is actually pretty perfect, showing the two women as foils to one another in a way that feels surprisingly natural. There have been many different incarnations of Lana Lang over the years, and Kelly seems to have created one who’s kind of a gestalt of different ones. She’s not the nosey mini-Lois that plagued Superboy in the Silver Age, nor is she the tragic, heartbroken wreck that John Byrne left behind, but rather a woman who is strong enough in her own right but still besmitten with the boy back home. Gwen, on the other hand, is pretty much Gwen, although (thankfully) not the angelic simulacrum that many contemporary writers have cast her as. The knowledge that each of these women are in doomed relationships – doomed for very different reasons but doomed nonetheless – gives the whole story a bittersweet edge that concludes things on a note of joy that is tempered by the fact that the reader knows it won’t last.
Title: The Thing and Superman in “Identity War” Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Gary Frank
Frequent collaborators Geoff Johns and Gary Frank reunite for this story in which Mysterio has teamed with the Legion of Super-Villains and, using the power of a Red Lantern, set the Hulk out on a rampage fueled by even greater rage than he’s ever felt before. But that isn’t what this story is about. It’s actually about the Thing, one of the few people immune to the rage that is infecting the world, watching Superman tussle with his frequent green-skinned sparring partner and seeing how he handles the situation in a very, very different way than Ben ever would.
The description, I admit, doesn’t sound that exciting, but this story is a masterpiece of character work. Johns knows Superman, obviously, but casting him in this story is just perfect. The story about rage and division is a clear allegory for the real world, but Johns pulls it off without getting heavy-handed or pointing fingers, but rather by using Ben Grimm to draw conclusions that far too many people in the real world need to understand.
Title: Hobgoblin Vs. Steel in “Ghosting!” Writer: Louise Simonson Art: Todd Nauck
Steel’s co-creator Louise Simonson gives us this quick tale about him going into battle against the Hobgoblin, with a special surprise guest that’s wonderfully appropriate. But like the aforementioned Slott/Martin story, this feels rushed and over too quickly. Great art by Todd Nauck, and I would love to see him draw Steel more often, but it left me wanting more.
Title: Ghost-Spider and Supergirl in “Remarkable” Writer: Stephanie Phillips Art: Phil Noto
Ghost-Spider visits Metropolis only to find herself teaming up with Supergirl in combat with Live Wire. It would be a great team-up, if only Supergirl had any idea who she was. This is a really funny little story, and a strong character piece from Phillips (who has a lot of experience writing Gwen, but does a dandy Supergirl as well). This story really works well with the short format. In fact, I find that for the most part the stronger backup stories in this issue are the ones that tell a quick character study of the two characters rather than the ones that try to squeeze in an adventure in the limited page count.
Title: Miles Morales, Spider-Man and Superman in “The One Thing…” Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Art: Sara Pichelli
Miles Morales’ creators reunite for this one, in which Mile sees something crash to the Earth, only to find Superman trapped by a strange alien artifact. This story tries to split the difference between character piece and adventure story. It ends on a kind of cliffhanger (not unlike the Superboy/Spider-Man 2099 story from the previous book), but in the middle we get Superman talking to Miles and sort of propping him up as a hero. It’s not bad, and that’s coming from someone who didn’t like any of Bendis’s Superman run, but it also covers a lot of the same ground that the Meltzer story does at the beginning of the issue, only better. I feel like this was a wasted opportunity, honestly – it may have been more interesting to see Bendis write Miles and Jonathan dealing with legacy.
Title: Thor and Wonder Woman in “The Wondrous and the Worthy” Writer: Jason Aaron Art: Russell Dauterman
Jason Aaron, the writer behind the Jane Foster era of Thor, returns to that version of the character for this story. The most interesting thing about this one, honestly, is the setting. Aaron seems to be placing this story as an encounter between the two heroes in the midst of the War of the Realms event Aaron wrote back in 2019. In this version, however, it looks like Darkseid and the New Gods were tossed into the mix as well. It’s another “inexperienced hero gets a boost from the older one” story, and while I’m curious about the backstory, the character stuff feels a little incomplete.
Title: Spider-Man and Superman in “One of Those Days” Writer: Jeph Loeb Art: Jim Cheung
Loeb and Cheung wrap up this issue with a two-pager of…well, it’s Superman giving Spider-Man a pep talk again. It’s fine for what it is, really, but we get a LOT of that kind of thing in this book. I’m all for Loeb and Cheung doing a quickie about the two heroes, but it feels like the editors should have kept a closer eye on the back-ups to make sure they weren’t all retreating the same ground.
To be fair, I loved this issue. The main story and the Johns story are both without peer. The Gwen/Lana and Gwen (the other one)/Kara stories are both excellent. The rest range between “good” and “would be better if it wasn’t the same thing we’ve already read.” But the thing I’m taking away from this is that there’s so much ground to cover in bringing these characters and their respective worlds together. These two one-shots, wonderful as they are, only seem to hint at a larger connection that I would love to explore.
Marvel. DC. There is so much ground to cover here. Don’t wait another 50 years before you do this again.
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!
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!
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!
I’m writing this on Christmas morning, sitting amongst piles of wrapping paper and the mountain of Hot Wheels that Santa Claus brought Eddie, The Muppet Christmas Carol on TV because it’s not time for football yet. But it’s also the first day of the final chapter. After 51 weeks in which I have watched, read, or listened to at least one piece of Superman-related media every single day, no matter what life had in store for me, I’ve only got seven days left to reach the finish line.
I’m going to think of this week as “the best of the rest.” I’m going to try to read and watch some of my favorite or some of the most significant stories remaining on the gargantuan list I started the year with. And make no mistake, that list is still pretty big. I haven’t gotten close to scratching off all of it. So perhaps, just perhaps, when I reach New Year’s Day, my journey with Superman won’t be ending, but merely evolving.
Comics:Superman Smashes the Klan #1-3, DC Go! Holiday Special #32
Notes:A few weeks ago I listened to the radio serial “Superman Versus the Clan of the Fiery Cross.” In 2019, writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Gurihiru loosely adapted that storyline into a three-issue miniseries, Superman Smashes the Klan, that kept the skeleton of the original story, but added some new elements that really made for one of those evergreen graphic novels that will be read for a very long time.
Set in the days after World War II, the story kicks off with a Golden Age-style Superman polishing off a leftover Nazi calling himself Atom Man. The fight is tougher than it should be, as Atom Man is powered by a glowing green crystal that Superman has encountered before, that makes him weak and sick. We soon discover that this is a very young Superman who does not yet know the truth of his alien origins. Something is nagging at him, and he sees an odd vision of himself in the mirror looking like a creature from outer space. Meanwhile the Lee family – Dr. Lee, his wife, and their children Tommy and Roberta – is moving from the Chinatown section of Metropolis to the city proper because Dr. Lee is starting a new job as Chief Bacteriologist of the Metropolis Health Department. Their new neighbor, Jimmy Olsen, stops by to introduce himself and invite them to the Unity House Community Center baseball practice.
The story follows the plot of the radio show fairly well, but it adds in elements that weren’t present on the air. Superman learns in the course of this story that he’s an alien himself, giving an added dimension to the story of the Lees and their struggle to find acceptance in Metropolis. We’ve also got an original character, Tommy’s sister Roberta, who wasn’t in the original story but takes on a large part of the narrative. As the daughter of a Bacteriologist, Roberta is a bit of a germophobe, which only serves to enhance her existing awkward nature, making it much more difficult for her to acclimate to her new home. I like this angle a lot. Having Tommy fit in as a typical all-American boy worked well for the radio show. You didn’t even know that he WAS Chinese for the first few episodes, making the angle of the Klan come across as a surprise to the listener. But in a comic book, there’s no way to make that kind of thing a surprise. While Tommy is still that kid who everyone loves and blends in with the Unity House baseball team easily, Roberta gives us a character to depict the alienation that someone – especially a kid – can feel in this sort of situation. The idea in the original was just to point out how foolish the likes of the Klan were, and that’s all to the good, but Gene Luen Yang (himself a creator of Asian descent) brings a whole new dimension to the story by emphasizing the struggle of an immigrant family through Roberta’s perspective. Not to make it sound like she’s some damsel in distress, mind you. Roberta is Superman’s deuteragonist in this story. She overcomes her anxiety to help her brother, realizing very quickly that Chuck Riggs is involved with the Klan and using her knowledge to race to Tommy’s rescue. She also inspires Chuck’s change of heart much earlier than happens in the radio serial.
Tommy, on the other hand, perhaps tries a little TOO hard to fit in, leaning on his ethnicity in ways he didn’t in the original radio story. Once he becomes part of the Unity House baseball team he keeps dropping jokes about being Chinese (“Confucius says” references, for example), using what makes him different to enhance his popularity. Although he’s a good-natured kid, his insistence on drawing attention to being Chinese bothers his sister almost as much as the people who insult them.
Superman himself has yet another perspective on the immigrant experience. He knows he was adopted, and we see flashbacks of Jonathan showing him a strange device that was in the ship that brought him to Smallville, but it spoke a language they were never able to translate. He’s even gone so far as to mentally suppress some of his more fanciful powers, making for a nice explanation for why he goes from “leaping tall buildings” to outright flight.
Another addition to the story is the Atom Man subplot. After Superman captures Atom Man in the beginning, we see periodically that he’s not in police custody, but being studied by the Metropolis Health Department, a study that Dr. Lee clearly has misgivings about. Lois Lane – who had almost no presence in the original radio story – takes the lead on this one, cracking open the story about the “Health Department” which turns out to be a private enterprise conducting dubious research. Naturally, this turns out to dovetail with the story of the Klan in a rather unexpected way. This is one point I’m a little unsure about. Making the Klan a more high-tech organization, with “loftier” ideals than the simple bigotry of the original works for this version of the story, to be certain, but I’m not sure if it undermines the original point at all. Perhaps smarter people than I can answer that one.
The is a fantastic story – a bold, proud tale that does far more than simply adapt the original radio drama. Indeed, it ties the story of Tommy and Roberta Lee in with the core concept of Superman, making who they are as integral to the series as who he is. I can’t recommend this one highly enough.
Fri., Dec. 26
TV Episodes:Superman and Lois Season 4, Episodes 6-10
Notes: With my wife working and my son having a mountain of toys to play with and college football to watch, I decided that the day after Christmas was the time to finally finish the last season of Superman and Lois. I’m not going to to a play-by-play on these last five episodes, so let’s assume that you’ve watched these episodes that I’m watching for the first time, and I’m going to discuss my feelings about them as I watch.
In episode 6, we see Lex trying to tighten his grip on Smallville by buying up property and bribing the citizens, but they hold firm and resist – mostly because Clark wants them to do so. It’s a wonderful series of scenes in which Clark realizes something that viewers figured out several episodes ago: after seeing Lois and the boys run to Superman’s side after he was killed by Doomsday, the entire town of Smallville now knows that he’s really Superman. And best of all, every single one of them is willing to keep the secret and cover his back. It’s a great story beat, and actually one I’ve thought about several times over the years. Considering everything that he did for the town of Smallville, especially in those continuities where he had a career as Superboy, it would be utterly absurd if there weren’t a lot of people who deduced the truth. The fact that they keep the secret speaks to an inherent goodness in them, a loyalty to the hero who has saved them time and again. Plus, when we see him trying desperately to put the cat back in the bag, convincing people that he’s NOT Superman, it’s hilarious.
Of course, there’s gotta be some drama, and the fact of his identity leaking out predictably causes some problems – kids who are resentful of Jonathan and Jordan, an antagonist from an earlier season that comes back and causes trouble. The scene where someone takes a shot at him in a diner, forcing him to reveal himself, is just glorious, and it leads to the secret being revealed to the world. When that happened in the comics I hated it, because I knew this was a genie that had to go back in the bottle and we’d seen it before. But here, when it happens on a TV series that only has three episodes left, it’s an opportunity to tell a story that hasn’t been told with Superman before, and the creators nailed it.
Beyond that, of course, another big arc in this season is the fact that Clark now has Sam Lane’s heart, and it’s reducing his powers, causing him to age. At the same time, Luthor is planning his final revenge with the combination of a new super-suit (stolen from John Henry and beefed up with Kryptonite) and the return of his Doomsday monster. It all collides in the final episode, “It Went By So Fast,” a title which I can only assume was a meta way for the writers to indicate the fact that they didn’t really want the show to end. I get it, too – this last half-season, lower on the soap opera dramatics and higher on the Superman stuff, was really fantastic, and it’s leaving me wanting more.
They’ve done the Doomsday battle before in live action – in Smallville, in Batman V. Superman, and even before in this series…This is probably the best one I’ve ever seen. With Clark on the ropes, seeing Jonathan and Jordan step up to fight hits me in that parenting place that seems to dominate how I interpret stories these days. John Henry and Lana joining the fight as well shows how big Superman has become, how this world is rising up to meet him. He may have lost a step thanks to his heart transplant, but he’s also inspired another generation of heroes, meaning he doesn’t have to do it alone.
And that’s just act ONE of the finale.
While Clark is chucking Doomsday into the sun, back on Earth Lex attacks the twins and Lois goes after him directly. As she shouts at him to stop attacking everyone around her when she’s the one he really wants, she yells the most Lois Lane line I’ve ever heard: “I am not afraid of you, but you’ve always been TERRIFIED of me,” then nails his warsuit with a mine. It’s not enough to stop him, but it slows him down enough for Clark to make it back to Earth and really start the final battle. It’s an epic, airborne spectacle that ends, inevitably, with Luthor taken down.
And now we’re only HALFWAY through the episode.
Next we get a time skip to about year later with Lana’s wedding to John Henry Irons (an event that would happen a few months later in the comics as well). Kyle and Chrissy are expecting a second child, and Kyle and Lana have reconciled into what appears to be a sincere friendship. Jordan and Sarah, similarly, seem to have finally buried the hatchet, and John Henry spends a tender moment with Natalie as Lois gets an important text about Lex’s future behind bars.
In the final act, we get a voiceover from Clark about how Sam’s heart allowed him to live another 32 years, and how he wanted to leave behind a legacy, making the world a better place. Clark, along with the twins, John Henry, Natasha, even Bruno Mannheim, begin to make real change. Using the influence of Superman and Lois Lane, they start a foundation that accomplishes good throughout the world. The twins each marry and have kids of their own, and we get a nice scene of Grandma and Grandpa Lois and Clark (in admittedly dubious aging makeup). But eventually, Lois’s cancer returns, and Clark is left alone. He lasts for several more years before Sam Lane’s heart that had beat in his chest for so long finally gives out, passing away quietly with his sons next to him.
Clark sits up, young again, seeing his own body behind him. He embraces his sons – young again – and sees his grandchildren. He finds Luthor, of all people, sitting at his kitchen table, and offers him forgiveness…says goodbye to his friends one at a time, and in the end he sees a vision of Lois, waiting, to take him into the light.
Here’s the thing: the story of Superman doesn’t end. It just – it doesn’t. Five years from now, ten years, a hundred years from now, there will and should be new stories of Superman being told.
But if Superman DID end…this is the right way to do it. An ending that is happy in the life he and Lois get to lead, despite the fact that this life – like all those of mortals – must end. And the fact that a Superman left behind a better world than he arrived on in that spacecraft from Krypton. In the comic books, they can’t really do a story in which Superman changes the entire world this way, because they still need something to tell stories about next month and next year. But here, with a television series coming to an end and, with it, closing off the stories of that universe, they have the freedom to show what Superman is REALLY capable of. This season has been a buildup, showing how Superman inspires those around him – not only his own children or friends, but the people of Smallville who were willing to stand up for him, and the people of a world that grows to do the same. The ending of this episode is a tearjerker, but it’s left with a beautiful message of hope that is entirely appropriate for Superman.
But it’s not only hope. Superman is about hope, yes. But the thesis of this series is true as well: “[Love is] the thing that makes life worth living.” It’s what makes the story of Lois and Clark so powerful, in all its many iterations. A man from another world, a woman who represents the best of ours, and how they come together…this is a story worth telling.
Comics:DC Go! Holiday Special #41
Sat. Dec. 27
Comics:DC Go! Holiday Special #43 (Cameo), Detective Comics #1103, Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5, Superman Unlimited #8, Action Comics #1093, Superman Vol. 6 #33, Absolute Superman #14, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #46, Supergirl Vol. 8 #8, Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #14, Justice League Red #4 (Power Girl), Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs. Kong 2 #5
Notes: For the final time (this year), I’m going to do a roundup of recent Superman-related comics, starting – oddly enough – with Detective Comics #1103. One of the first comics I read this year, back in the first week of January, was an issue of Tom Taylor’s Detective that showed Superman helping Bruce through an existential crisis. This actually serves as a nice bookend, with Bruce teaming up with Lois to help with an investigation. Superman appears briefly, but most of the issue is concerned with Lois showing off how dang capable she is, and how much respect Bruce has for her. It’s the middle of an ongoing storyline, so it’s probably not something most people would read on its own, but it’s worth mentioning because it’s a great Lois guest appearance.
The final issue of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum wraps up W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo’s celebration of the Man of Steel in dynamite fashion. Lex Luthor has engineered a new Kryptonite Man, powered by the entire spectrum of the remnants of Superman’s home, and the battle between the two of them sends Superman on a spiral that leaves him questioning the very nature of the universe itself. Prince’s story leans heavily on metafiction, concentrating on Superman as a story and weaponizing that part of the character’s nature. The finale is entirely unexpected, but in its own way, as sincere a love letter to Superman as the likes of All Star Superman was – in fact, Prince and Morazzo lean heavily on Morrison and Quitely’s story here, and they do so in a way that’s both loving and triumphant. This is hands-down the miniseries of the year.
Superman Unlimited #8 gives us another of the one-off stories that this series has been doing so well. The influx of Kryptonite on Earth has changed a lot of things, including energy sources, and an experimental space flight is planning to make faster-than-light travel a commercial enterprise on Earth. With Lois Lane as a passenger on the maiden voyage, the Justice League assigns Guy Gardner to escort the flight in case something should happen. And wouldn’t you know it? Something happens. I have no doubt that Guy’s appearance in this issue is at least partially due to his guest-starring role in this summer’s big movie, but at the same time, it’s done exceptionally well. Guy is such a fun character – a rude, insufferable boor that is in every way diametrically the opposite of Superman…except for the fact that they’re both true heroes at heart. Seeing them together, both clashing and cooperating, pretty much always makes for a good time, and this issue is no exception.
Action Comics #1093 is another one-off story, this time Mark Waid telling a Superboy tale that shows an event that’s fundamental to Superman’s moral core. Dozens of farmers throughout Smallville are given notices of foreclosure on their farms at the same time. The new owner of the bank assures them that if there’s an “error” they’ll figure it out, but the time it would take to do so would ruin every farm in Smallville. When Superboy contemplates using his power to “find” the money to save the town, it becomes a battle of wills between Clark and his parents, who think that using his powers for personal gain – even to save the town – isn’t the way to go. I’m sure that everyone who’s ever read a Superman comic has fantasized about having the power to hunt down undiscovered gold or some other get rich quick scheme, and Waid does a good job with the Kents of painting a picture of why such a thing should be above a Superman. I still have to confess that I’d probably go dig up the gold if I had Superboy’s powers, but in my defense, nobody has ever called me Earth’s greatest hero.
DC KO’s “All Fight Month” continues with Superman #33, with the unlikely battle between Lex Luthor and Etrigan the Demon. Throughout the month I’ve been impressed at just how well these battles have transcended being mere slugfests. Oh, there’s fightin’ a-plenty, but each of them has gone beyond that to telling a story that digs into the heart of the characters involved. We see who they are, why they do what they do, and what makes them worthy of the Omega Heart, even if it’s only in their own mind. Joshua Williamson taps into the blackness in Lex’s heart and simultaneously shines a light on him. By the end of the issue, you almost (aaaaalmost) want to root for him in his fight with the Demon, because damned if he doesn’t convince you that he’s earned the win. We also continue the storyline with Superboy-Prime and Lois, whose Superwoman powers have returned, in the Fortress of Solitude. Recent announcements about the state of the Superman titles after KO ends have made these pages a bit more relevant than we’d realized, and although I hate the fact that they keep spoiling things in the solicits, I’m very curious to see what’s coming next to this title.
Absolute Superman #14 ends the current storyline with an epic battle between Kal-El and Ra’s Al Ghul for the heart of Smallville. As the two of them go at it, we see Lois facing off against the Peacemakers and Sol’s internal battle with Brainiac, all of which come to an amazing crescendo in this issue. Without going into a blow-by-blow, the ending of this one is probably the most hopeful thing I’ve seen yet in the Absolute Universe as a whole, although as suits this world tainted by Darkseid’s energy, the victory is bittersweet and not without a price. In many ways, it clears the table for this series, and it will be very interesting to see where the story goes from here.
World’s Finest #46 continues the story of Lex Luthor and the Joker, fused into a single being and armed with the power of a device that gives them the sum total of all knowledge in the human race. Superman and Batman, naturally, have to step up and stop them, this time getting a little extra help from Green Lantern to juice them up in a way he’s done once before. The issue ends on a cliffhanger, and it’s a pretty good one, except for the fact that it suffers a bit from Prequelitis. Admittedly, even in the present day what happens at the end would likely be wiped out by the next issue, but when you’re dealing with a series set in the past, there’s really zero tension with the “shocking” ending. It’s still a great, fun story, though.
I’m going to end my tour of new comics with Supergirl #8. It’s Christmas in Midvale, but Supergirl isn’t feeling merry. The holidays, with their emphasis on family, always make her remember everything she lost in the destruction of Argo City. Still, the Danvers and Lesla-Lar do their best to cheer her up, even as they get a strange visitor from the past that Supergirl has neglected for far too long. Sophie Campbell’s Supergirl is probably my favorite new comic book title of the year, but this issue is a little atypical. While the series is usually very bright and uplifting, this issue is somewhat darker and more bittersweet, particularly for a Christmas story. That said, it works really well. Sophie takes Kara’s pain and shapes it into a valuable lesson for Lesla-Lar, whose journey to becoming a superhero is an important component of this title. The story is told well and propels the characters forward, while still giving us a little Christmas cheer in the process.
This is most likely the last I’ll talk about newly-released comics in the Year of Superman, and it’s bittersweet for me too. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to taking a break on January 1st, but at the same time, I’ve enjoyed pontificating about these new issues as they come out. It’s one of the main reasons I’m thinking about how to continue this blog into the new year.
Yeah, I’m teasing that again. Sue me.
Sun. Dec. 28
Comics:Superman: Space Age #1-3
Notes: Continuing the theme of “Endings,” today I’ve decided to revisit the three-issue Space Age miniseries by Mark Russell and Michael Allred from 2022. Published as a Black Label series, like many of them, it really feels more like an Elseworlds. It’s set in a universe where Superman rises to prominence in the 1960s, with a Clark Kent that’s spurred to go out and find ways to save the world following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Before he puts on his costume for the first time, though, he encounters a strange man called the Pariah, who warns him that the world will end in approximately twenty years. Pariah claims to have accidentally unleashed a great evil called the Anti-Monitor, an ancient being whose goal is to bring order to the Multiverse by destroying every positive-matter universe until only his own Antimatter universe remains. He tries to dismiss the Pariah as one of the “kranks” he’s assigned to cover as a Daily Planet cub reporter, but something about him sticks with Clark and he’s unable to shake it. On the other hand, he’s sometimes skeptical that the world will even last 20 years, as the arms race is intensifying and made worse by a false flag attack on Coast City orchestrated by Lex Luthor. The cataclysm turns out to bring heroes out of the woodwork: Batman captures Luthor, Abin Sur passes his ring on to Hal Jordan, Themiscyra sends Diana to the UN as an ambassador, and Superman makes his true debut disposing of American missiles before they can annihilate the Soviet Union. Book one ends with these four coming together at a new Hall of Justice.
In book two, we jump ahead to the 70s, where Superman is well-established, and the world is at peace following a nuclear disarmament treaty. But an interview with Lois leaves him questioning whether he’s doing all he can, and a similar disagreement drives a wedge in the Justice League. It’s a bad time for it too, as Green Lantern warns of the impending approach of a cosmic threat called Brainiac and, at the same time, a Superman from an alternate universe where all human life has been rendered extinct. It’s not all bad news, though – Clark is promoted to an editor’s desk at the Planet, Lois breaks Watergate, the two of them fall in love and she confesses that she knows he’s Superman just before he tells her. They even have time to get married and have a son before Brainiac arrives on Earth. But he’s not there to destroy the world, only to take its greatest resource before the Anti-Monitor can destroy it himself, hoping to use that resource in his battle against the Multiversal destroyer. That resource, as it turns out, is Kal-El of Krypton. The League drives Brainiac off the planet, but at the cost of Green Lantern’s life.
The final book in the trilogy takes us into the 80s where Clark finds Pariah again, who is impressed by his years of heroism, but still sees the end as inevitable. With less than two years before the Anti-Monitor arrives, the Brainiacs again ask Superman to join their fight, and this time, he considers it – but when a heart attack fells Johnathan Kent, he changes path, dedicating himself to saving the human race by eradicating disease by scanning their DNA. It turns out to be a ploy to record their genetic code. When the Anti-Monitor destroys the world, Superman makes for the Brainiacs’ portal, but instead of going into it he pushes through a crystal encoded with the DNA of every human he could collect, sending them to the empty world populated by the other Superman. He returns to his family just before the end, where on the other world the other Superman restores the human race on a new home.
In terms of “ending stories,” I kind of have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it’s excellently done. The writing and storytelling are top-notch and the characters, even in the Elseworlds setting, still feel mostly true to the heroes we know and love. And I’ll pretty much always be on-board for artwork by Mike Allred, whose unique style is one of my favorites of all time. On the other hand, there’s an impending sense of doom that spreads across the entire thing. There are other dark “final” Superman stories, like Kingdom Come or Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, but in both those cases we journey through the darkness with Superman and ultimately end in a place of hope. This one has a sense of nihilism that doesn’t quite befit the character. Even the ending, where the other Superman brings back humanity (starting, naturally, with Lois Lane), leaves us with the feeling that it’s only buying time. After all, the Anti-Monitor is still out there, the final battle has yet to be fought, let alone won.
The series raises some interesting questions as the different Leaguers look on things with different perspectives. Green Arrow views the world through the perspective of the “Trolley Problem,” whereas Batman’s point of view is that he just saves whoever he can, knowing he can’t save everyone. Superman, as fits the character, refuses to accept that, and is determined to find a way to save everyone even if doing so seems impossible. It’s a noble point of view that works in the regular DCU, but Russell shines a light on how unrealistic that perspective actually is. If I was looking for something realistic, though, I don’t think I’d be reading Superman in the first place. Superman is an ideal, and ideals don’t have to be realistic. They’re something to strive for, even if you know they can never really fall into your grasp, and that’s how Superman works best.
So is Space Age a good story? Yes. Absolutely. Without a doubt.
I don’t think it will ever be one of my favorites, though.
Mon., Dec. 29
Comics:DC Go! Holiday Special #47 (Supergirl), Doomsday Clock #1-12
Notes: This is a controversial book, DC’s sequel to Watchmen which brings those characters into conflict with the heroes of the DC Universe, but I’m including it here for an important reason. In the end, this is very much a story about Superman. The first issue shows us the state of the world – since Ozymandias’s scheme was revealed by Rorschach’s journal, he has become the most wanted fugitive on the planet and the world has crept closer and closer to the very nuclear annihilation he was hoping to avoid. A new Rorschach has arisen, this time working with Ozymandias, who has a tumor growing in his skull. The two of them hope to find the only person in their universe with the power to change anything – Dr. Manhattan. Meanwhile, in another universe, Clark Kent wakes up from a nightmare, a horrible vision of the car crash that killed Jonathan and Martha Kent when he was only a teenager. It’s the first nightmare he’s ever had.
Ozymandias and Rorschach ally themselves with a pair of criminals – Marionette and Mime – who are seeking their missing son. They trace Dr. Manhattan to the DC Universe, where people are in upheaval following the popularization of the “Supermen Theory,” which posits the idea that the reason so many of Earth’s metahumans are American is because they have been deliberately created by the government since Superman’s first appearance. Faith in superheroes is eroding, with the only one who still has the public trust being Superman himself.
Over the course of these twelve issues Geoff Johns and Gary Frank delve into the nature of the DC Universe itself, starting with the notion (from DC Rebirth) that it was Dr. Manhattan who was responsible for the New 52 reboot in the first place. Turns out, it’s more complicated than that. Manhattan did toy with the fabric of the universe, but the reason it was possible for him to do so is because the “Prime” DC Universe – the one that’s called Earth-0 these days – isn’t actually part of the multiverse as we know it. Manhattan calls it the “Metaverse” (take that, Mark Zuckerberg) because it’s a core reality that the others are all reflective of. In the Metaverse, Superman made his first appearance in 1938 and inspired the heroes of the Justice Society. Then reality snapped, moving Superman’s appearance to 1956. The JSA still existed, but now Clark Kent had an early career as Superboy, inspired BY the JSA, and it was that Superboy that in turn inspired the Legion of Super-Heroes 1000 years in the future. Another snap popped Superman’s first appearance to 1986, and–
–are you seeing the pattern here?
The idea is this: Superman is the center of the Metaverse. As time goes forward, his existence is the constant, and as such, the universe is in a constant state of change. But every time the universe shifts, the previous iteration is preserved in a different world in the Multiverse. The original Golden Age Superman’s world is Earth-2. Another was preserved as Earth-1985. The version Manhattan created is Earth-52, and so forth. Eventually, Superman’s timeline will catch up with the Legion a millennium in the future, and when that happens, the ideals of Superman will become universal, and create a lasting peace.
Man, that’s a nice thought, isn’t it?
This book – much like the original Watchmen – suffered from a lot of delays before it could be finished, and many of the larger concepts have been ignored since then. I don’t think the concept of the Metaverse has been explored since this book, for instance, and by its very nature it makes sense that they wouldn’t bring it up all that often. On the other hand, this book also established that Martin Stein was part of a government conspiracy to create superheroes, and Firestorm was the result of that, something that I’m almost positive has not come up again. But that’s the beauty of this book – it provides a framework that can be used to explain away virtually any discrepancy or change in continuity. That thing you remember that the heroes didn’t? It happened in a previous iteration of the Metaverse, and it’s still canon out there in the Multiverse…somewhere.
If you’re the kind of person who considers Watchmen sacrosanct, I can understand why you wouldn’t like this book. It does, in a way, undermine the conclusion of that story by answering the intentionally vague question of what would become of Rorschach’s journals, and (perhaps even more blasphemous) it allows for that world to have a happy ending. But as good as Watchmen is, I have no objection to the notion of returning to that universe. The HBO miniseries did it in excellent fashion. I like this one too, if for no other reason than because it confirms something very important: Superman is the most important hero in the entire universe.
Shoot, guys. I could have told you that.
Tues. Dec. 30
Graphic Novel: It’s a Bird
Notes: As with Doomsday Clock yesterday, I want to spend these last few days of the year with stories about Superman and about what he means. That quest led me back to It’s a Bird, the unique 2004 Vertigo graphic novel by Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen. It’s perhaps the most unusual Superman story of them all in that Superman isn’t actually in it.
The story, which is semi-autobiographical, starts with five-year-old Steve waiting in a hospital as his grandmother languishes. To placate him and his brother, their father brings them a Superman comic…after which, Steve swiftly rejects comics, as they remind him too much of the hospital, making it all the more ironic that he would grow up to write them. When an adult Steve is offered the job of writing Superman by his editor, he rejects it, unable to find the character relatable.
The story is mostly about Steve trying to find his way into the Superman, and along the way he takes some interesting detours. His father goes missing, and fears of the disease that took his grandmother come back. Meanwhile, everyone he talks to about getting offered Superman is ecstatic for him and dumbfounded that he doesn’t want the job. These two threads are intercut with pages of Steve’s own musings on Superman, on who the character is and what he means – or at least, what he’s supposed to mean – as he tries to find something about the character that he can make believable in the real world.
The interlacing storylines, of course, come together in the end, because such things always happen in fiction even if they almost never do in real life. His father’s disappearance turns out to be related to the death of Steve’s grandmother all those years ago, and in confronting his father and the disease that haunts his family, Steve starts to find a way in to Superman.
It’s a good story, a powerful one, but it’s one whose inherent premise is one I somewhat disagree with. Steve’s quest is to find a way to make Superman “real.” I don’t think that’s necessary. Superman isn’t part of our real world any more than Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny or the food replicators on Star Trek. That doesn’t mean that he isn’t important, though, or that there’s nothing to be learned from them. In a lot of ways, I think the very fact of Superman’s fanciful nature is perhaps the most important thing about him.
Just as the story is very atypical for a Superman comic (such as it is), so is Teddy Kristiansen’s artwork. Kristiansen’s style is an odd halfway point between sketches and realism, in some ways making me think of Art Spiegleman…which is appropriate enough, as this book echoes Maus in various ways. Both stories are autobiographical, and with a frame narrative about the author struggling to relate to their fathers. In Maus, of course, the ghost that hangs between Art and his father is the spectre of the holocaust, while in this graphic novel it’s the shadow of the Huntington’s Disease that follows Steve’s family.
The book, of course, is specifically described as “semi-autobiographical.” Not really knowing much about Seagle himself, I wouldn’t presume to declare which parts are true and which ones aren’t, but regardless of any plot elements I tend to believe that all of the emotion in this book is genuine. The concerns, the fears, the anxieties that “Steve” expresses are almost certainly part of Seagle’s own psyche. Writers tend to do that, after all.
This is the Superman book for people who don’t understand Superman. I don’t know if, in the end, it will actually help them figure the character out – at least, not the way that I understand him – but it will at the very least help them find a path through someone else asking the same questions, and that’s a journey very much worth reading.
Comics:Harley Quinn X Elvira #3 (Power Girl guest appearance), Justice League Red #5 (Team Member Power Girl), Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs. Kong 2 #6 (Team Member)
Wed. Dec. 31
Comics: Superman #247, Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth #29
Notes: Well glory be, here it is. 365 days later, and the journey I started back on January 1 with Action Comics #1 is about to end…or at least, to evolve. I’ll talk more about that (say it with me) later, but for now, it’s time for the final Superman reads of the year. I thought hard about what to read today. In the early part of the year I’d planned to end it with a classic “last” Superman story, like Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? or Kingdom Come, but I decided to add those when I did the week of comics that influenced James Gunn’s Superman. So how else to end it? I ultimately decided to go with two comic books about what Superman is, because that’s where this entire journey has led me anyway.
First is Superman #247, the Elliot S! Maggin/Curt Swan classic “Must There Be a Superman?” Like many of the stories I’ve read this year, I encountered this one for the first time when it was published in DC’s classic Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told collection. Let’s talk about why it qualifies.
The story begins with Superman taking on a special task for the Guardians of the Universe – a pod full of deadly spores on a path to Earth, and as the spores are yellow the Green Lanterns are helpless to stop it. Superman creates an artificial planet to draw the spores away safely, but is injured in the process, rescued by Green Lantern Katma Tui and brought back to Oa to heal. As Superman is healing, the Guardians take advantage of his unconscious state to plant a notion in his mind that his influence on Earth may be impeding human progress. (If this had been the “Year of Green Lantern,” you would have found me discussing a LOT of stories that drive home an important point: the Guardians are pompous assholes.) When Superman wakes up, the Guardians give him a tour of Oa, continually dropping comments about him contributing to a “Cultural Lag” on Earth, and sending him home with the notion that if he steps back, Earth will be better off.
As he returns to Earth, he stumbles on a child migrant worker being abused by his employer. Rescuing him, the child – Manuel – brings Superman back to his community where the residents begin begging him to help solve all their problems, such as fixing their crumbling houses. Superman refuses, saying that they need to know how to care for themselves, but an earthquake strikes just seconds later, destroying their homes. Superman blunts the quake and rebuilds their houses, but tries to convince them that they need to know how to care for themselves because no one – even Superman – can do anything. He returns to Metropolis only to get word of a cruise ship endangered by a waterspout, which he rushes off to save, even as the Guardians watch from afar.
Looking back at this story now, I feel like this was Maggin’s way of responding to people who asked why Superman didn’t just sweep in and fix all the problems in the world. After all, with his power, why couldn’t he just solve hunger, homelessness, war, famine, disease, and so forth? From a narrative standpoint, of course, the answer is obvious: if Superman were to do all these things, what stories would be left to tell? It would literally be the end of Superman, as a going storytelling concern. But what about in-universe? How do you explain it to a kid like Manuel, who’s getting beaten up by a man who basically controls his entire life? The answer is something that people who know Superman could have told you from the beginning: even with the best of intentions, having someone (like Superman) doing everything for them would hold them back, leave them unable to act or take care of themselves. It kind of reminds me of all those stupid ads begging me to use Google AI to write an email or a Facebook post as if I haven’t been perfectly capable of doing that for my entire life.
Superman is there to take care of the things that we can’t. As far as the things we CAN take care of…we shouldn’t expect him to do it all for us. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take inspiration from him.
“Inspiration” is the theme of the final comic I’m going to read in this year of Superman, Jack Kirby’s Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth #29. Kamandi, for the uninitiated, was a series about a post-apocalyptic world in which the human race is all but extinct, and the world is populated by anthropomorphized animals. In this issue Kamandi, one of the few remaining humans, finds the “Tablet of Revelation,” an ancient carving that prophesies the “return of the Mighty One,” a great warrior of the past. When the apes see Kamandi’s friend Ben Boxer, they believe him to be the returned “Mighty One.” One of the apes, Zuma, tries to engage him in combat, but the elder says that the Mighty One can only be revealed by demonstrating his powers against overwhelming odds. A catapult hurls claimants through the sky to prove that they can fly higher than the tallest building, an enormous boulder called the “Daily Planet” awaits the man who can move it, and so forth. Ben’s mutant powers convince some of the apes he’s the Mighty One, but a battle breaks out when they pledge to take him to his suit. In the fight, they come across a very familiar blue costume with a cape and a brilliant scarlet S-shield. Zuma tries to claim the costume, but perishes in battle as Kamandi defends the suit, saying “I know who owns it! I know that somewhere he’s still alive!” The suit is left, waiting until the true Mighty One returns.
This comic was released in 1975, some 30 years before the idea of the S-symbol standing for “hope” was put in place, but it’s hard not to think of it as you read this story. Kamandi’s faith that Superman is still out there is the sort of thing you’d expect, it feels like an appropriate place for the legend. The future of the DC Universe has been rewritten dozens of times, of course, with many of the various possibilities showing an immortal Superman, a legacy of heroes that lasts a millennia, or both. This feels like part of that, like the hero himself has left something behind with the promise that more is to come.
And that “promise of more to come” feels an appropriate place for me to stop.
Almost.
Movie: Superman (2025)
Notes: The first movie I watched this year was the original Christopher Reeve Superman from 1978. I’m going to end the year by revisiting the movie that inspired me to start this journey in the first place, James Gunn’s Superman. I’m not going to write it up again – Heavens knows you can find that on my original review. But I’m going to watch and enjoy.
One year later, and I have succeeded. I have watched, read, or listened to at least one thing starring or about Superman or a member of his family for an entire year. I’m actually quite stunned that I made it.
And I’ve still got so much to say.
But not yet. Come back Friday, friends, for my final thoughts on this year-long Odyssey, and my explanation of where I’m going from here.
Happy New Year.
Blake M. Petitis 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.
In case you didn’t make it to the end of last week’s blog (I don’t blame you), I want to talk about what’s going on for the last month of the Year of Superman. I have plans for the last two weeks, including a week of holiday-themed stories and then wrapping it all up with a sort of “best of” week featuring classic stories I haven’t covered, as well as stories that kind of function as “endings” for the Man of Steel. In the last two weeks before then, it’s gonna be a free-for-all. I’m going to try to cross off as many things from my to-read and to-watch list as I possibly can, but there won’t necessarily be any rhyme or reason, pattern or theme. I’m going to get in whatever I can. As I write this, on Dec. 3, I know what I’m reading today, but I’ve got no idea what you’re going to get over the next six. Here’s hoping we can have some fun with it.
Graphic Novel:Superman: Ending Battle (Collects Superman Vol. 2 #186-187, Adventures of Superman #608-609, Superman: The Man of Steel #130-131, and Action Comics #795-796)
Notes: About two years after the legendary Action Comics #775, “What’s So Funny about Truth, Justice, and the American Way?”, the four Superman titles came in with a sequel story that lasted for two months across eight individual issues. In “Ending Battle,” written in turn by Geoff Johns, Joe Casey, Mark Schultz, and Joe Kelly, Clark Kent is in Washington, DC visiting his old friend Vice President Pete Ross (this was during the President Luthor era), when the White House is attacked by the Master Jailer and Neutron. They’ve been hired to kidnap Pete and his wife, Lana Lang – but not because he’s the Vice President. Superman stops them, but they manage to escape, and Pete gets a very cryptic call from President Luthor, asking him to tell Clark “You’re faster than a speeding bullet.”
Later that day (in part two), the Atomic Skull arrives in Kansas where he quickly takes down Superboy and is about to go after Jonathan and Martha before Superman arrives to save them. As the day continues, more villains attack people close to Clark Kent: Riot goes after his old high school coach, Quakemaster his dentist, Hellgramite one of his college professors, and so on. Superman races from scene to scene, capturing one B-list villain after another, piecing together that someone is targeting not Superman, but Clark. He also realizes that the villains that are being sent are deliberately sub-par – whoever is behind this isn’t actually trying to harm anyone, but rather to send the message that nobody close to Clark Kent is safe. The stakes are raised when King Shark goes after Jimmy Olsen. After Superman stops him, Shark claims that a voice in his head told him a name and location, and he didn’t have a choice but to attack. While Superman is cleaning up the Shark attack, someone attacks the Daily Planet.
In Part Three Superman arrives at the Planet to see it besieged by Green Lantern’s old enemy Evil Star. No seriously, that’s his name. But despite having a moniker that sounds like a third grader came up with it, Evil Star is a lot more dangerous than the bad guys so far. He’s powerful, and in control of dozens of inhuman monsters that make him very dangerous – but he has no more idea of why he’s attacking than King Shark did. The attacks are coming faster now – Rock and Terra-Man attacking Steelworks, the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit fighting Dr. Killgrave, and Superman has Lois gather everyone close to them at Steelworks, where Superman tells them that “Clark Kent” is in danger and that they’ve been targeted due to their association with him. Although many of them want to get out there and stand their ground, Lois convinces them that it’s better for them to stay there, safe, instead of dividing Superman’s attention by trying to rescue them all…and Bibbo (ah, but I love Bibbo) volunteers to make SURE everybody stays put. As he prepares to fight, a mental wave knocks Steel out of the battle and tells Superman to go to Lex Luthor.
In Part Four Superman finds Luthor hiding in a secret lair of his own, where he confesses that he knows Clark Kent is Superman…but he also says that he’s not the one responsible for the attacks. He doesn’t know who sent him Clark’s identity, and refuses to be a pawn in somebody else’s game (which is pretty damned Lex Luthor of him, you gotta admit). In the midst of their discussion, they’re attacked by the Elite. Superman quickly realizes that even THEY are being mentally controlled, and finally tracks down the source to the living interdimensional spacecraft called Bunny, whose consciousness has been destroyed and whose body is controlled by the Cyborg Superman. As he leaves the Cyborg in ruins, Superman declares war on the man he knows now to be responsible: Manchester Black.
In Part Five, Superman finds that the Master Jailer has converted Metropolis into the “largest prison on Earth,” and Manchester Black is waiting for him. But he still has a gauntlet of villains to get through: Prankster, a random Bizarro, a newbie called Puzzler, Neutron and Terra-Man again. (And in a beautiful one-page vignette, Mr. Mxyzptlk shows up. He’s planning to pursue his usual mischief, but when he sees just how royally pissed off Superman is, he voluntarily says his name backwards and disappears, realizing that this is “not a good time.”) As part six begins, Superman knocks the Kryptonite out of Metallo, declaring he doesn’t have time for this, and makes his way through a literal army of low-tier villains before stumbling upon the A-team: Bizarro #1, Mogul, and Silver Banshee working with the Master Jailer. The power goes out in the city and Lois decides she can’t stand sitting around in Steelworks anymore, sneaking out to investigate, only to find herself in the clutches of the man himself, Manchester Black.
Part seven takes Superman to the “boiling point” (to quote the cover) as he discovers that his four remaining foes are more dangerous than he realized. Black has tampered with Bizarro’s twisted mind, “clearing” it and making him far more capable than ever before, and after a full day of Superman running Black’s villain gauntlet, Bizarro and Mongul beat the tar out of him. Banshee, meanwhile, is also more dangerous now that Black has revealed Superman’s “true, genetic” name of Kal-El, giving her magic greater efficacy against him. Superman takes the fight to the tropics, where the sun refuels him, but even there, the Master Jailer has set snares for him, even spreading Kryptonite into the sand. He manages to defeat them and tracks Black back to Metropolis, where the villain has been mentally torturing Lois (in a series of profoundly disturbing scenes). When Superman arrives, he finds Black standing over her dead body.
In the grand finale, Black smugly reveals that the government let him out of prison to do dirty jobs for them, and he used that freedom to investigate, finding Clark’s identity by observing his affection for Lois Lane. He taunts Superman, saying that he’s finally shown him how the world “really works” – sending him on a day-long battle to “save the world,” and the only loss of life was the person who means the most to him. The battle is quick and fierce, and Superman annihilates Black’s body with a burst of heat vision – until that part is revealed to be another illusion. Superman refuses to dishonor Lois’s memory by killing his enemy. “Vengeance is not justice,” he says. In stunned astonishment, Black finally realizes – finally ACCEPTS – that Superman’s the real deal, that even after everything that’s been done to him, the armor will not break, and he won’t kill him, ever. The realization makes Black drop his illusions: Lois is alive, of course, Black’s suicide plan being to make Superman kill him and then discover Lois was alive…but he failed. Superman cannot be broken. He slinks away and wipes the minds of everyone he told Superman’s identity to, including Luthor (who, to his absolute fury, remembers that he USED to know who Superman really is, but CANNOT REMEMBER THE NAME). Then, seeing that he has indeed become the villain Superman called him, Black kills himself with a telekinetic bullet.
I don’t know if I’ve read this storyline through since it was originally published back in 2002, but holy hand grenades, it was a humdinger. This was one of the darkest Superman stories of the period, putting our hero through a physical and emotional wringer like he’s never been through before. The only thing I can think of to compare it to is the first half of the Knightfall storyline, when Bane breaks all of the villains out of Arkham Asylum and has Batman run himself ragged trying to defeat them all before he steps in and snaps his spine. But Black’s real goal wasn’t physical, it was emotional. It was about tearing down who Superman is at his core, making him betray his truest convictions, turning him into the monster that Black is convinced everybody is deep inside. It doesn’t happen, though. The story takes a very long, roundabout, and upsetting path to get there, but in the end the result is the same: Superman is Superman. And he cannot be compromised, no matter what. This story precedes Injustice, but in a way it almost feels like a rebuttal to that. Even in his darkest moment, even when he believes he’s lost everything, Superman doesn’t bend.
It’s the kind of climax that makes you smile and say, “Ya gotta respect that,” and in a way, that’s what Manchester Black does at the end. He sees that he was wrong, and he makes up for it as much as he can – restoring the status quo in regards to Clark’s secret identity, and then taking himself off the playing field. This being a comic book, of course, he eventually got better, but when he appears now he’s more of an anti-hero than the anti-villain he was in these storylines. “Ending Battle” changed him, and that’s quite a testament to the story.
The harshest part of the entire run comes in chapter seven, when Black tortures Lois. We see it – mentally he breaks her down, showing her her worst memories and her worst fears (such as Clark cheating on her with Wonder Woman) in a tremendously uncomfortable sequence that can only be described as mind rape. And frankly, it’s all unnecessary – as his plan depended on Lois being alive at the end of it, what the hell was the point of torturing her?
Fortunately, things work out at the end, and this was even a turning point for the Superman titles at the time. Following the events of the “Our Worlds at War” storyline (which coincided with the real-world tragedy of Sept. 11), Superman had changed his costume slightly, putting a black background in his S-shield, a black shield on his cape, and generally showing up in darker tones that were reflected in the stories of that period. After Black’s defeat, after he and Lois take time to heal, he goes back to the classic yellow, signaling that the period of mourning has ended and Superman is, indeed, Superman once again.
The only thing about this story that’s kind of confusing is just how isolated it feels. Granted, it takes place in a 24-hour period, but it spans the entire planet, and the only other heroes to actually appear are Superboy and Steel, neither of which turn out to be much of a factor. They reference the Justice League a few times, but it seems like the moment Superman realized someone was targeting Clark’s loved ones, he would have activated the entire JLA – have the Flash evacuating people, Green Lantern shielding them, Batman and Wonder Woman fighting at his side. This could almost be set in a world where Superman is the only superhero there is, and while I can understand that making the other characters a part of the story may have complicated it, leaving them out entirely feels like a tremendous oversight.
Comic:Justice League of America #49
Thur., Dec. 4
TV Episodes: Smallville Season One, Episode One, “Pilot;” Superman and Lois Season Three, Episode 7, “Forever and Always.”
Notes: It’s been a minute since I watched this one, but it’s time to sneak it in. Because the thing is, even though this show never calls our hero “Superman,” even though Clark never puts on the iconic costume until the last shot of the last episode, for an entire generation this is the gold standard of Superman on TV. As much as Christopher Reeve was fundamental to me, I know that people who came of age in the early 2000s latched on to this show. In fact, both David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult identified this as their earliest exposure to Superman. And it lasted ten seasons for a reason: it’s a good show.
The pilot begins with an origin – a rocket in space falls to Earth in the little town of Smallville, Kansas, in 1989. In this version, though, it doesn’t fall by itself – along with the rocket comes a shower of meteors that causes untold havoc to the town, destroying buildings, striking cars and setting them ablaze, and horrifically killing the parents of little Lana Lang right in front of her eyes. As this is going on, industrialist Lionel Luthor (John Glover) is forced to land the helicopter he’s travelling in with his son, Lex, who runs into a cornfield in a blind panic during the shower. He stumbles on a young man lashed to a scarecrow with an “S” painted on his chest – a football initiation ritual – when a meteor streaks overhead and lays waste to the entire cornfield. When Lionel finds his son, the fallout of the meteors has caused his bright red hair to fall out. Oh yeah, and Jonathan and Martha Kent (John Schneider and Annette O’Toole) are tossed upside-down in their truck, only to find a little boy stumbling towards them through the wreckage. Martha, who has been praying for a child of their own, convinces her husband to adopt the boy. Because it wouldn’t be a Superman story otherwise, would it?
Twelve years later, young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) is now a student at Smallville High and he nervously asks his parents permission to try out for the football team. But Jonathan is hesitant, worried that there might be an “accident.” Clark doesn’t take it well, and when he realizes he missed the school bus carrying his friends Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and Pete Ross (Sam Jones III), he dashes ahead, racing through the cornfields at super-speed to meet them at school. Clark catches a glimpse of Lana Lang (Kristen Kreuk), whom he approaches sheepishly before stumbling and falling flat on his face, a common occurrence. While he watches Lana and her boyfriend Whitney, Clark feels a surge of pain beyond his teen angst, and his eyes fall on the necklace Lana wears all the time, the one with a green meteor rock in it. That afternoon, as Clark walks home moping about everything, Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) loses control of his car when looking at his phone – let that be a lesson kids – and hits a roll of barbed wire that fell off a truck. Lex hits Clark head-on and his car plunges over the side of a bridge. Clark, unhurt, manages to pull the unconscious Lex from the wreck and perform CPR, saving his life. Lex is baffled at how Clark wasn’t hurt, especially when he sees the remains of his car, but is grateful to Clark for saving him. That same night, a local body shop is attacked by the young man that Lex saw in the cornfield 12 years ago. He seems to have electrical powers now, and he hasn’t aged a day.
Lex sends Clark a new truck as a “thank you,” but when Jonathan refuses to allow him to accept it, they get into an argument over how Clark feels like he’ll never be normal. Jonathan decides that it’s time to tell his son the truth of his origins and shows him the rocket that brought him to Earth on the day of the meteor shower. He rushes away in anger, eventually finding himself in a graveyard, where Lana Lang is visiting her parents. For the first time in his life, Clark is able to have a conversation with Lana without making a fool of himself. (It MAY have something to do with the fact that she gave Whitney her green meteor rock necklace for luck in the homecoming football game.) Although Clark is terribly non-specific, the two bond over their mutual trauma and he walks her home, getting a kiss on the cheek for his efforts and promising to save him a dance, even though she’s dating Whitney. Clark visits Lex to return the truck, and in the conversation it comes out that Jonathan doesn’t trust the Luthors because of Lionel’s shady business dealings. Despite the animosity of their fathers, Lex offers Clark his friendship, believing that their generation is the future.
Chloe, meanwhile, sees an odd bystander at the site of an attack on a former football player and tracks him down to a hospital where he’d been comatose since the day of the meteor shower, having recently escaped, identifying him as Jeremy Creek. Chloe shows Clark her “Wall of Weird,” an enormous catalogue of all the strange, inexplicable, and bizarre things that have happened in the town of Smallville since the day of the fateful meteor shower – dozens of news clipping and photos, including a Time magazine cover featuring a weeping three-year-old Lana Lang, and Clark suddenly feels guilty for the death of her parents. As he leaves school, Whitney grabs him, declaring that Clark has been targeted for the scarecrow initiation this year. Clark staggers in pain, seeing the green necklace around Whitney’s neck, and Whitney puts the necklace on Clark, saying, “This is as close as you’re ever gonna get to her.” While string up in the cornfield, Clark is approached by Jeremy Creek. He begs Jeremy to cut him loose, but Jeremy declares he’s safer where he is and leaves. Lex catches a glimpse of Jeremy in the field while driving to his father’s plant, then hears Clark calling for help in the field and cuts him down. The necklace falls from Clark’s neck and he feels his strength return, running from the field, and Lex finds the necklace in the dirt. Clark finds Jeremy about to use his powers to attack the Homecoming dance, and the two fight. Jeremy smashes a truck, getting sprayed with water that seems to short-circuit his electrical powers. When he awakens, he has no memory of the last 12 years. Clark goes home, watching from a distance as Whitney brings Lana home from the dance.
I was a faithful viewer of this series the entire time it was on the air, but I haven’t revisited it very much since the original run ended, and watching the pilot again after all this time is making me consider a full rewatch. (NEXT year.) I’d forgotten a lot of the little beats – how they tied in Lex and Lana’s respective status quo to the same meteor shower that brought Kal-El to Earth, for example, or the rather naked and shameless way Lana’s Aunt Nell thirsted after the very married Jonathan Kent.
The show did a great job of framing what is essentially a Superboy series (minus the costume) in the early 2000s. The characters all felt really true to the classic versions, as well, with the dynamics and relationships fitting the traditional mold while still feeling modern. One of the best things about the show, especially in the early seasons, was the dynamic between Clark and Lex. Although the notion of Lex being a friend of Clark’s who went bad was old, going back at least to the Silver Age, there had been precious few stories that actually EXPLORED that friendship prior to this part. Starting the show on the day they BECAME friends gave the show a nice element of tragedy to it. Lex insists to Clark that their friendship is sincere, and he honestly means it, but every single person watching the show knows that something is going to happen sooner or later to make it go terribly.
The elements that were added to the show are hit and miss. Using the meteors (Kryptonite, in case you didn’t pick up on it) as a sort of catch-all to create metahumans for the show made for a good source of villains, but it caused a “freak of the week” formula that started to get stale quickly. And although it is difficult to separate the character from the actress, Allison Mack’s Chloe Sullivan was a great new character, giving Clark a sort of confidant that he didn’t traditionally have. She was a fantastic character that added a new element unique to this version of the character. At one point they even added her to the comic books, in a Jimmy Olsen serial that ran in the pages of Action Comics during a period when DC was doing a lot of those backup serials. Unfortunately, she never showed up again after the Flashpoint/New 52 reboot, and considering the controversy surrounding Allison Mack, it seems unlikely that she’ll come back again any time soon.
It’s funny, really, how I am remembering now how much I liked this show back in the day. I don’t have time in December, that’s for sure, but I think when January rolls around I’m going to try to find time to pencil episode two into my viewing schedule.
Fri., Dec. 5
Comic: DC K.O.: Superman Vs. Captain Atom #1.
Notes: The “tournament” part of DC K.O. is hitting this month. With issue #2 of the main series narrowing the field down to 16 combatants, this month we’re getting a series of eight issues (four one-shots and four issues of existing ongoing series) that will feature one-on-one fights, and it all kicks off with Superman Vs. Captain Atom. Although he’s never really been an A-lister, Captain Atom is one of those characters like Firestorm, whose true potential is almost limitless if he really cut loose, and that makes him a suitable opponent for Superman. I won’t go through the play-by-play of the battle, but I will say that I was particularly satisfied with this issue. The fight was brutal and intense, but suitably, it was just as much a battle of ideology as it was a physical one. Captain Atom is ready to do whatever it takes to win, whereas Superman is desperately trying to hold on to his ideals even as the battle rages around him. Along the way, the story starts to pick up on the feel of a video game, with a strict set of rules, power ups, and alternate forms being laid out for the heroes as they go head-to-head. It’s rare that you see an all-fight issue that actually feels worthwhile, like it has weight to it, but if this is any indication of what the rest of the month is going to be, we’re in for some epic slugfests. I’m particularly looking forward to the last issue – the one-shot that will pit the Joker against his former victim, Jason Todd, the Red Hood.
Sat., Dec. 6
Movie: Man of Steel (2013)
Notes: I have to confess, I have deliberately dragged my feet when it comes to watching this movie in the Year of Superman project. But that should not be construed as a commentary on the film itself. No, my reluctance has nothing to do with the movie and everything to do with the toxicity of the fanbase that seems to have grown around it. With the possible exception of Star Wars, I have never seen a group of purported fans more whiny, obnoxious, delusional, or self-absorbed than adherents to Zack Snyder’s version of the DC Universe in the time since it was announced that James Gunn was going to reboot it. And in truth, I wasn’t totally in favor of the reboot when it was announced. I did – and still do – like Henry Cavill’s Superman, and I thought that a page-one restart was unnecessary. But that in no way excuses the abhorrent behavior from a small – but astonishingly vocal – segment of the fan base. So let me just say that if you’re one of the people who has spent the last few years online harassing James Gunn or the new cast, or fans of the new movies, or have attempted to review bomb or spread false narratives about the success of the film – if you’re one of these people, then please understand without a doubt that you suck, that you have made the rest of us who DID like the Snyder movies embarrassed to say so out of fear of being associated with you, and that Superman wouldn’t like you either.
Although he, of course, would give you a chance to redeem yourself, because that’s who Superman is.
Okay, that’s the last I’m going to say about that subject. Let’s talk about the movie. There were then – and still are – a lot of things about this incarnation of Superman that I really liked. Although I don’t feel like origin stories are necessary anymore, the opening sequence on Krypton is really dazzling, with a fascinating version of this world that’s unique and – although inspired by versions like John Byrne’s Krypton – isn’t exactly like anything else.
Snyder’s version of Superman leans into him as an alien: he is not of Earth, and although he strives to protect it he doesn’t feel as though he belongs. Every aspect of this version of Clark Kent emphasizes this – the early scenes where he’s struggling to contain his vision and hearing powers, the later scenes where he’s roaming the world before he settles in Metropolis, and of course, the main conflict in the second half of the movie that’s all about Zod calling him out, forcing him to be seen as an alien the very first time the human race glimpses him at all.
This is not, I should stress, my preferred version of Superman. I like it when the character is inherently human, with the fact of his birth on Krypton being incidental to the man he actually is. But like all legendary heroes going back to antiquity, there are different interpretations of the character, and for this particular “Superman is an alien” interpretation, the movie is very well-done.
Similarly, Henry Cavill’s Superman is the perfect fit for THIS interpretation. There’s a sadness and a longing to him, as he looks out on a world that he seems desperate to be a part of, but cannot connect with fully. Michael Shannon’s Zod has the anger and disdain that you want from the character, and he’s fantastic at what he does. Amy Adams as Lois Lane doesn’t quite have the ferocity that I usually like in my Loises, but she trades it for an intellectualism and demeanor where nothing quite phases her, and like many of the other things I’ve mentioned, it works for this version of the character.
There’s the score by Hans Zimmer to talk about as well. I absolutely love the music in this film – strong, bold, classical. Nothing will ever top the classic John Williams theme, of course, that music is etched into my soul. But Zimmer’s work is great, in particular the anthem that plays when we see Clark learning how to fly for the first time. That’s a fantastic sequence, and I never get tired of it.
Among detractors of this film, there are two major points of contention, one of which I think is justified, while the other is missing the point. First, the criticism I agree with: the portrayal of Jonathan Kent. I’m not wild about the fact that Jonathan tries to prevent Clark from using his powers to help people in this movie, although I think it’s more acceptable when you filter it through the lens of a father trying to protect his child. It’s not that he doesn’t care about the school bus full of kids that Clark risks his secret to save, it’s that in his mind HIS child is more important than any other, and he cannot abide the thought of what might happen to him if his secret were to become public. Speaking purely as a dad, I totally understand that perspective. But Jonathan Kent – and I’m going to be frank here – has to be the greatest father in the universe in order to raise a kid with Clark’s power who becomes a Superman instead of a Zod. This problem is especially clear when Jonathan allows himself to be taken by a tornado rather than letting Clark save him. It’s supposed to come across as heroic, in that he considers Clark’s secret more important than his own life, but when you think of the number of ways Clark could have saved his father and still protected his secret, then it just seems…foolish.
The other major criticism is one I disagree with wholeheartedly, and that’s the scene where Superman kills Zod. “Superman doesn’t kill!” they shout, and they’re right. But that’s not the same as saying he NEVER has. Snyder, again, seems to be taking his cue from John Byrne here, specifically the “Supergirl Saga,” in which Superman killed Zod and the two other Phantom Zone criminals to prevent them from finding a way to his Earth and destroying it. Doing so devastated Superman, causing a mental break and eventually steering him to dedicate himself to the protection of life, and never its destruction. The fact that Superman refuses to kill is MORE believable due to the fact that he did it ONCE.
And this film actually does the Byrne story one better. Rather than executing three helpless prisoners out of the fear of what they MIGHT do, in this film Superman kills Zod as he is ACTIVELY threatening the lives of innocent people. Even in a court of law, his actions at that moment would stand up as justifiable. But the lesson he takes away from it is the same – the agony on his face after Zod’s death shows just how deep a wound he’s created in himself.
The other two movies in which Cavill portrays Superman, similarly, have their ups and downs. I’m not going to get too deeply into either of them, except to say that I think Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice gets more derision than it deserves and that Zack Snyder’s Justice League is vastly superior to the theatrical cut of the film. But all that said, although I didn’t feel like the reboot was necessary when it happened, I have since come around on that one wholeheartedly. This movie was good at what it did, but what the James Gunn/David Corenswet movie does is simply much more like the Superman that means so damn much to ME.
TV Episode: Superman and Lois Season 3, Episode 8, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”
Sun., Dec. 7
Comic: Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4
Notes: The penultimate issue of W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo’s Black Label miniseries is just as triumphant as the first three. In this one, Superman and Batman have figured out that the strange new varieties of Kryptonite they’ve been studying are actually the work of Mr. Mxyzptylk. In and of itself, this isn’t that surprising. What IS a bit of a shock, though, is the revelation that Mxy sent them as a distress signal – the Fifth Dimension is in serious danger, and only Superman can save them! But while he and Batman are doing their thing, Lex Luthor has plans for the new Kryptonite in his possession.
This issue is just a JOY to read. While it’s just as weirdly surrealistic as fans of Prince and Morazzo would come to expect, the tone is one that celebrates imagination and storytelling, focusing on how important these elements are to a character like Superman. It’s not at all what I expected from the two of them, and I couldn’t be happier with what we’ve been given. I should say, though, that it furthers the problem of DC not really knowing what “Black Label” should be, because it doesn’t seem to fit with anything else in that line at all.
There’s only one issue left, scheduled to drop next week, and I can’t wait for the finale.
Mon., Dec. 8
Comic: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #45, Supergirl Vol. 8 # 7, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #144, Justice League of America #50
Notes: Mark Waid’s string of hits continues with World’s Finest #45, in which our two titular heroes actually take a mostly supporting role. This month, the Joker has gotten wind of Hawkman’s “Absorbascon,” a device that’s familiar to the readers, but which he sells to Lex Luthor on the promise that it can bring the user “infinite knowledge.” The two of them plot to get their hands on it, and the issue ends with their game being upped in a tantalizing and potentially deadly way.
What I really like here is that Waid is pushing forward the story while, at the same time, finding room to do a lot of great little character beats. Lots of people have written the Luthor/Joker partnership before, a team-up that makes little sense in reality, but that keeps happening mostly on the strength of having the arch-foes of the DC Universe’s top two hanging around together. The idea that someone of Luthor’s cold, rational nature would team-up with the Joker is ridiculous, so it’s always fun when a writer finds a way to make it make sense. The Joker of COURSE would love to hang out with Lex – poking holes in his logic is probably the next best thing to tormenting Batman – so having him bring a MacGuffin to Lex that the latter couldn’t possibly resist is a good excuse to force them together against Luthor’s wishes.
Although Superman and Batman take a back seat for most of this issue, we DO get some good moments with them, particularly the opening scene, which features Clark hanging out with Bruce at the Batcave, watching a football game between the Metropolis Meteors and the Gotham Goliaths. It’s incredibly rare to see the two of them doing something so utterly normal, just sitting around like any two ordinary guys, munching popcorn and rooting for their respective teams. It seems almost absurd for Superman and Batman to engage in such an afternoon…but for once, despite their clothes, they aren’t being Superman and Batman. They’re just Clark and Bruce. I can count the number of stories that pull that off effectively on one hand, and I’m not drawn by AI, so that’s a pretty low number.
I also want to call out the artwork by Adrian Gutierrez. I’ve made no secret of my love of Dan Mora’s work across the DC Universe, but Gutierrez has really stepped up and made this book his own. He handles the quiet character moments – like showing Superman wearing a football jersey over his uniform – just as real and perfectly in-character as the Big Damn Hero moments that come later in the issue. In other words, I’m a fan.
In Supergirl #7, it’s Thanksgiving in Midvale, and you know what that means! It means I should have read this comic book two weeks ago. But it ALSO means it’s Lesla’s first holiday on Earth. As Kara’s parents host a Thanksgiving dinner for all of Kara’s friends and family – including Superman and Lois – Lesla gets worried because Kara hasn’t shown up. Turns out she’s under the sea, trying to save herself from being turned into a mermaid by turquoise Kryptonite. You know, like you do.
My love for this book under Sophie Campbell’s stewardship continues unabated. On the one hand, we’ve got Supergirl herself tied up in a plotline that could have fallen straight out of the Silver Age, and Campbell is handling those adroitly. On the other hand, Lesla’s story carries most of the character weight in this issue, and it’s every bit as entertaining and meaningful as the superhero stuff. Lesla is trying to understand Thanksgiving, Lena hates it, Luna doesn’t celebrate it but just wants to be with her friends…the Double-L Squad that Kara has built up around her in this title is already one of the best supporting casts in comics. There’s so much happening with them, with the clashing personalities that somehow still make perfect sense as a group of friends, and it makes the book feel very real, very genuine, and very heartfelt. It’s honestly almost TOO perfect – I’ve been reading comic books for way too long and now I’m almost positive that something horrible is coming that’s going to break up this whole happy surrogate family. In my defense, though, the last page seems to be pointing to that as well, so it’s not just my hardwired paranoia.
I do have one question, though – having Superman show up for Thanksgiving dinner at the Danvers? That’s fine, everybody there knows Supergirl’s secret identity. Having him show up with LOIS, though…is that necessarily the best choice? Lex Luthor’s daughter is right across the table from them, is she not going to piece things together? I mean, I know she’s not the biggest fan of her dad, but still. Seems risky to me.
TV Episode: Superman and Lois Season 3, Episode 9, “The Dress.”
Tues., Dec. 9
Graphic Novel: Superman: Lois and Clark-Doom Rising
Notes: Dan Jurgens, of course, is one of the architects of Superman and who he is for the past 30-plus years, and when the Pre-Crisis Superman and Lois were brought back during the end of the New 52 era, he was called on to write the Lois and Clark miniseries that brought them and their young son Jonathan into regular DC continuity again. A few years later, he contributed this story as one of a series of back-up features that were running in Action Comics, specifically appearing in issues #1051-1057 of that series, along with the story from the Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special that I read earlier this year. I love Jurgens’ take on Superman, and I love any story with Jonathan back when he was still a kid and interesting, so reading the collected edition of this serial felt like a nice way to wrap up this week.
Following the fight with Doombreaker from the special, Lois and Clark take Jon back to the California farm where they lived while in hiding (the New 52 version of Superman being the main one at the time). Jon’s powers are still new and burgeoning, and Clark is hoping to spend some time guiding the boy.
Back in Metropolis, though, the creature called Doombreaker (originally a construction worker named Lloyd Crayton who kept a piece of Doomsday’s bone and was later transformed by it) has escaped. The bone that caused his transformation has gone missing too, and what even Lois and Clark don’t know is that Jon has kept it, hiding it so that no one else could use it to turn themselves into a Doomsday monster. While he’s secreting it in his treehouse, a spacecraft lands and a young woman steps out, Glyanna of the planet P’Luhnn, asking Jon to take her to the man she assumes to be Earth’s king – Superman. The two are attacked by a robot enforcer. Jon calls for help and Clark, with his super-hearing, races away. Just then, though, Doombreaker arrives at the Kents’ doorstep, seeking the piece of Doomsday Jon took with him.
Superman finds Glyanna’s spacecraft, but no sign of her or Jon. Glyanna and Jon, meanwhile, are being held captive on the Enforcer’s spacecraft, where he plans to return Glyanna home to stand trial for treason. Jon fights the Enforcer, but causes the ship to crash, barely pulling Glyanna from the wreckage in time. He again calls his father for help, but Superman is embroiled in battle with Doombreaker, who’s found the piece of bone. When the Enforcer again comes after Jon, Glyanna reveals she’s been controlling it all along, and puts Jon in stasis to use him as a bargaining chip to force Superman to help her. Lois uses a weapon from Glyanna’s ship to stop Doombreaker, then shows Clark the alien’s message – her planet is in the midst of a revolution, and all Superman needs to do to get his son back is put it down for her.
Superman arrives on Glyanna’s planet and is given an ultimatum – stop the uprising or she’ll kill Jon, who is hidden inside one of 120 lead cells all over the planet. As he tries to buy time by holding the mob back, Jon pounds on the walls of his cell (in a manner nicely reminiscent of Doomsday’s first appearance), counting on his father to hear the vibrations, even if he can’t see him. When Glyanna realizes what Jon is doing, she cuts off the oxygen to his cell, but Clark has already located him and breaks him out. Superman finds Glyanna’s parents, the rightful rulers who were overthrown by their daughter, who explain that she was led to turn against them by an outside force. The story ends with Glyanna in space, her mysterious advisor telling her that she’s got a weapon of her own for the future: Doombreaker is in their clutches.
This is exactly the kind of story I loved when Jon was younger – Superman and his son, interacting AS father and son. The boy is still trying to learn about his powers and learn how to be a hero – all of this is territory that very few comic books have covered before, and virtually none of them with as high a profile a character as Superman. Nor has there been a mainstream hero so perfectly suited to this kind of story – it was Superman as a father, something that in the 75-plus years of his existence (at the time) had never really been done before. It was a change of pace that fit the characters and worked beautifully.
Yeah. I’m still salty about Bendis aging Jon up and putting an end to that era prematurely. The Superman books are good right now, but Jon has been a weak link in the franchise ever since that point, and stories like Doom Rising just serve to demonstrate the inherent potential in this formula that was left largely unrealized.
It also makes me remember that – to the best of my knowledge – the cliffhanger at the end of this issue has never been resolved. Glyanna and Doombreaker are theoretically still out there somewhere, waiting for a time to return. Somebody call Jurgens up and get him on that.
Comics: Batman: Wayne Family Adventures #51 (Guest Appearance), DC Go! Holiday Special 2025 #2 (Cameo)
Only three weeks left, friends, it hardly seems real. See you for Week 50 in seven days.
Blake M. Petit 