Review: Action Comics #1102

Action Comics #1102 came out last week, the next issue in the Kingdom Of Zod event, and the second chapter focusing on a time travel jaunt to Krypton before it exploded. I have struggled with the main plot of a Kryptonite plague happening on Earth. But chapters 5 and 6 of this event have been an interesting diversion, taking us back to Krypton and focusing on the two characters who would have the most interesting take on being on the planet again - Kara and young Clark.

Mark Waid has been doing a great job on the current Superboy stories in Action Comics, letting us see him at the earliest stages, learning his powers, and growing as a hero. But he barely knows about Krypton as a concept. So seeing him on Krypton, experiencing it for the first time, and knowing that perhaps he could change things and have it survive is all interesting. Waid clearly knows young Clark's voice and he makes these stories compelling. 

And Waid also loves Supergirl and she continues to shine in this Krypton arc, weighing her love of the planet and her need to keep the timeline and Superman's legacy intact. Supergirl might actually be the star of this issue.

The action is also great with Kara and Clark trying to escape a Krypton prison, get Ursa to stop talking, and get back to the time bubble. 

Montos is on art and his fine pencil style works well here. His fight scenes really shine as you see the effort and anger on the combatants.

On to the book.

Krypton Timeline In ‘Kingdom Of Zod’

In my review of Supergirl #17, I tried to piece together when our heroes' time travel trip to Krypton took place. Was the destruction imminent? Or was there some time.

Much of that was based on this shot (not shared in my review) of Kara seeing herself and her parents walking around the city. I put Kara at about 8-10 years of age. Assuming the origin of her being sent off to Earth at around age 16 to help protect Kal when he is a newborn is still intact, I wondered if we were about 5-10 years in the past.

That's a lot of story weight placed on one picture. And I have been told that kids are notoriously hard to draw. 

But the time period does impact the story. Ursa is trying to save Krypton and its people. How close are we? Has Jor-El discovered Krypton is dying? 

So I reached out to the creators on Bluesky.

All right, as an old time fan with a lot of continuity in my mind and in the midst of a timey-wimey time travel story, I sort of needed the info.

And thankfully, I got a response!

Superman group editor Paul Kaminski confirmed that this time travel jaunt does indeed take place about 5 years prior to Krypton's destruction. 

This helps me plant a continuity stake in the ground! 

Thanks to Kaminsky for helping me (and other fans) process the events!

Review: Supergirl #17

Supergirl #17 came out this week, the 5th chapter in the Kingdom Of Zod event, and the first on this side plot of a time trip back to Krypton. I have had a bit of a hard time understanding what Zod was hoping to accomplish with his 'growing Kryptonite' plot. But things changed last issue with Zod being killed by Ursa. Then Ursa, Kara, and young Clark all hopped a time bubble to try and stop Krypton from exploding. That is one left turn.

And with so much time spent on Krypton, the Earth story of the growing K is a bit in the background and I didn't mind that!

Sophie Campbell makes a meal out of the side trip showing us how Kara is approaching the whole thing. I like the maturity Supergirl shows, recognizing that despite her love for her world she cannot interfere with the timeline. In fact, that worry about changing things seems to overwhelm her thoughts. How can she stop Ursa, interact on the planet, and not change things. We get a lot of Kara this issue which doesn't always happen in this series and the full cast. I was glad to get this deep dive into our title hero's psyche.

Of course, this being a time travel story you have to think hard or not think at all. If this trip is now in the timeline, maybe anything they did IS the timeline and not disrupting it. Hmmm ...

The art is mix of Joe Quinones and Bruno Frenda. Both give us wonderful renditions of Supergirl, leaning into the emotions she is feeling being back on Krypton. There is one moment that could have used a bit more poignancy but things move pretty fast here.

On to the issue.

Review: Superman The Stranger #1

Superman The Stranger #1 came out last week, the first issue of a mini-series written and drawn by Wes Craig. This is my first major work by Craig so I was interested in seeing where he would go with this Superman in the 30's angle. 

I have to say I am a little bit up in the air right now. This first issue had high points and low points. But I wonder if this is going to be a politically preachy book and that always feels more like homework than fun. 

It is clear that Craig is setting up this Superman as a populist hero, looking out for the little people. This is a Superman without the Kents, without knowledge of Krypton, whose powers are slowly growing. He wants to do good; he wants to help people. Not having the Kents around is an interesting wrinkle because it means his ethics aren't the wisdom of Ma and Pa, it's internal.

And this harkens back to the earliest Siegel and Shuster stories where Superman was more about every day issues than intergalactic super-villains. Pick up any Chronicles and you'll read him fighting landlords, owners of unsafe mining communities, warhawk military men, abusive husbands, etc. I am not against a Superman fighting small crimes.

This comic seems to veer into a story where we will see Superman fighting bigots. And Superman fighting rich people. And Superman fighting bigoted rich people. And letting criminals go. I'll have to see where this goes. 

But it came right on the heels of the message of Absolute Superman #23, where Superman doesn't bring evil rich people to justice but instead disperses their wealth. And now here where the knife-wielding robber is the victim allowed to go free, it felt like a double-down on messaging. 

Craig's art is perfect for the story though, a mix of Fleischer Studios and Tim Sale. Really lovely stuff.

On to the issue.

Review: Absolute Superman #23

When the Absolute Universe was announced, I was unsure if it was going to be for me. The idea of a universe built on darkness and how our heroes would be impacted by that seemed to be a tough sell for me. Turns out that I am reading two of three main books in the imprint. Absolute Wonder Woman I read via trades and have enjoyed greatly. Absolute Superman I read monthly and, for the most part, I have found a very good read showing that even in a dark world Superman can rise above and inspire.

Absolute Superman #23 came out this week and was another good read showing how hard it must be to be Superman in this world. Superman is tracking down Brainiac and instead runs into Toyman and has to battle that villain instead. He is tempted to cross an ethical line, perhaps a bit out of character given the prior 22 issues. We also get shown that rich men have the capability to be evil as well. 

When read back to back with Superman The Stranger #1, I worry we might be heading into 'wealth is evil' and not 'some wealthy people can be evil'. Yes, Superman in this world feels like a populist hero making sure villages and individual people are cared for. Yes, Aaron doesn't say 'wealth equals evil'. So I'll have to see how this pans out. 

The Toyman here is truly scary showing how diabolical he can be. This isn't Schott in a striped suit with giant tops. This is a madman.

Juan Ferreyra's art remains top notch. Love his battle sequences. He amps up the terror in the scary stuff nicely. And we even get a Krypton flashback. Love his take on the landscape and Lara.

On to the book.

Review: Supergirl Survive #4

Supergirl Survive #4 came out this week and was, for me, the strongest issue of the story so far. As this story of a young Kara protecting a younger Kal while trying to stay ahead of kidnappers and evil scientists has unfolded, I have found myself more and more enamored of this young Supergirl. She exhibits all the things I love in the Supergirl character. Loving, loyal, and sweet when she needs to be. Determined, intelligent, and fierce when the time is right. All rolled together.

The beginning of the title seemed a little too fussy for me with nonlinear storytelling that didn't add much. But now that we are moving forward with the story, it has just clicked more.

Writers Ethan Parker and Griffin Sheridan show us this guardian Kara teaching Kal how to use his burgeoning powers on a yellow sun planet. She really is at times big sister and at times mother figure. It is completely sweet. 

But they keep the adventure and journey to Earth moving forward by introducing a new story element that made me smile, Brainiac 5. For long time Supergirl fans, Brainy is a huge part of her mythos and for many (like me) he is who she should be romantically linked to. Seeing this version of Brainy, a bit more cuddly version of the classic Querl, made this endearing. Add a few more Easter Eggs and you get a very good book.

Rod Reis continues to stun me on the book with his art. There is this sort of painterly/colored pencil feel to the book that soften it a bit, adding to the emotional tone here. He draws a young Kal perfectly, something which not all comic artists can do. 

We even get a solid cliffhanger to lead us into the next issue.

I am really enjoying this! On to the details.

DC Comics November 2026 Solicits

The November DC solicits were released recently and this seems like a bit of a quieter month. The Supergirl books sound intriguing albeit with the same sort of possible concerns I have had before. But overall the Super-books have really been clicking and this month sounds just as good, especially what Mark Waid is doing in Action. 

Here is a link to look at all the books coming out:
https://aiptcomics.com/2026/08/21/full-november-2026-dc-comics-solicitations/

And now onto the books.

SUPERGIRL #19
Written by SOPHIE CAMPBELL
Art and cover by SOPHIE CAMPBELL
Variant covers by MIGUEL MERCADO, KAREN S. DARBOE, and CHUMA HILL
Watchmen 40th Anniversary variant by GERALD PAREL

Kara Zor-El’s exposure to gold Kryptonite has left her without superpowers but not without super friends. The recently reborn Matrix and gloriously goth Nightflame get into a fight to prove themselves worthy of the Supergirl mantle, but another of Kara’s Super Force might surprise everyone. Meanwhile, Kara’s not just going to sit on the sidelines: She’s reenrolling at Stanhope! But will she make it past orientation with Reactron still on the loose?

One of my concerns with this book is how it is becoming a team book and not a Supergirl book. We have Super Force now and they are everywhere. Now in this solicit we find out that Kara is powerless in her own book. The cover shows Nightflame, Matrix, and ThunderGirl in prominent action poses. I'll have to see how all this pans out but I want Supergirl to be front and center.

As a fan of Matrix Supergirl I am excited to see what Sophie Campbell has in mind. And Kara going to Stanhope is cool. And Reactron! Yes! All that sounds great.