Review: Superman Unlimited #5

Superman Unlimited #5 came out last week and was an interesting chapter in the title. This is a mix of new plot elements, some nostalgia, and one semi-problematic new twist that I will be watching closely. Plus, I have a theory. 

I am not sure if I am excited by writer Dan Slott's Kryptonite Evermore main plot but this issue he brings in a couple of interesting kernels. A sunstone buried in the Kryptonite meteor is intriguing. It seems almost impossible to think this particular sunstone would make its way to Earth. But given the fact that a massive Kryptonite meteor covered in intertron was sent on a path to Earth makes me think this is a villain's plot. It is the sunstone element that has a potential problematic plot thread but we'll get there.

I also think that Slott is having some fun with the DC Universe bringing back a beloved vehicle for us old time readers.

Rafael Alburquerque continues to bring a muddy style to the book as well. There are some battle scenes in the Kryptonite mines of El Caldero where it seems to work best. 

On to the book.

Review: Superman #30

Superman #30 came out this week, pushing the Legion of Darkseid story forward with some important plot reveals, a possible Crisis homage, and a triple-agent double-cross that works well. 

But I am still trying to work out what exactly is happening regarding Darkseid. I thought that Darkseid wanted to die in the All In Special so that he was the 'hand Krona saw' in the Absolute Universe. Now it seems like he wants to come back and has sent his Legion to try and resurrect him. I thought it was cooler that he was sort of the primal energy of the whole universe rather than a being wanting to dominate. DC is approaching the DC KO mini-series which means Darkseid has to manifest to fight whoever wins the round robin. 

So in this issue, writer Joshua Williamson tells us about the origins of this Dark Legion and what their goals are. These aren't my Legion and, in particular, this sadistic Saturn Girl, killing with her mind and licking her chops over the nihilistic Superboy Prime is about as far away from my Imra as possible. And like last month, Prime is a delight here, dropping creator names and comic references throughout. 

Dan Mora brings the action and frenzy in this issue. The action is wild and crazy. We see the Legion pounding the good guys throughout the book. And his take on Saturn Girl is chilling. It has been a while since Mora hit the scene and I am still in awe of his stuff. 

On to the book.

Terrificon Recap #3: Walt Simonson Sketch And Other Notables

Here is my final recap of Terrificon 2025 which was absolutely tremendous. If you haven't, check out part one and part two. 

So we'll start out with this fantastic Walt Simonson 'quick sketch'.

But to understand the story behind this sketch, you need to know about Walt Simonson and his con presence. So settle in. Because if you are hoping to meet him at a con you need to know what I am going to tell you.

First off, Simonson is one of the nicest guys in the business and is just great to interact with.

Two, he sets up two lines at his table. One is only for signing comics. The other is for 'quick sketches' and he tries to do 10-15 a day. He sketches these 'quick' in real time. If you are in the sig line, you need to wait while he does them. When he runs his table, he does several people in the 'signing only line', then does a sketch, then goes back to the signing line. Then back to do a sketch and so on. So be prepared to wait.

Third, his lines are very very long because he is a legendary creator and, as said, an extremely nice guy. And those lines form early. Usually the sketch line is 15 deep in 5 minutes after the doors open because everyone runs to his table to get there. So be prepared to wait.

All this to say, fans need to be aware that if they are hoping for a Simonson sketch they need to be at the front of the line to get into the con itself and should head to his table first ... like run there. 

Also, fans should know that they might spend a big chunk of time in that line whether it is the sig or sketch line because they get long. So figure out how important meeting Simonson is and how much time you want to spend in that one line. Preparation is important. (You need to make this calculus for any popular creator at any con.)

For me, I had the luck of going to the con all three days. I avoided the Simonson table on Friday. That was my heavy lifting day, trying to set up commissions and get the bulk of signatures I wanted. 

Saturday was 'Simonson day'. With the heavy lifting done, I was ready to spend as long as I needed to in his line. (Again, it helps that I was going all three days. If you are there for one day, you might need to make a harder decision.)

I knew I wanted a sketch. I knew the way the line formed. I got in line very very early on Saturday. When the doors open, I ran to the table.

This is a long set up but I want to help con goers who don't know this. 

Back Issue Box: Action Comics #599

In Action Comics #1090, Superboy battled Raze in Will Magnus' lab. This is an Elsewhen story so there weren't any Metal Men there, just your standard robots and some samples of elements in the lab's cabinet. One of those elements was Kryptonite. The set-up led to blog friend Mart Gray asking if Magnus ever made a Kryptonite Metal Men.  As far as I know, that hasn't happened. But we got close in Action Comics #599. With all that background, how could I not review it?

We are about 15 months into John Byrne's reimagining of Superman in the DCU, a time when Action Comics became a sort of DC Comics Presents, a team-up book. That format ends next month with the anniversary #600 dropping. With  Byrne being new to the universe, I was glad that we got this team-up book letting us see his take on the Demon, Mister Miracle, the Titans, and others. Here Byrne has our hero teaming up with the Metal Men ... a little. You'll see what I mean.

There is something else even more interesting about this. Usually Byrne did writing and art. But on this issue, legend Ross Andru did the pencils. Byrne does inking of 'figures', I suppose to give the book that Byrne polish. And Keith Williams does the inking of the backgrounds. So it looks like Byrne ... sort of. You'll see what I mean.

And, as Mart asked, we get a Kryptonite Metal Man to attack Superman. On to the book.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #43

Batman/Superman World's Finest #43 came out this week, the conclusion of the Bizarro storyline by Mark Waid, Adrian Gutierrez, and Sean Izaaske. This was a quick arc which embraced the Bizarro aspect of the world with backwards talk and ideas and insanity. But it also somehow veered from those humorous aspects to some serious pathos. Bizarros just want to live their lives.

Mark Waid does his usual writing dance of both revering DC's history while modernizing it. Square world? Backwards speak? A 'secret' Batcave with neon signs pointing it out? Pure Bizarro madness out of the Silver Age. But Bizarro's who are sad for becoming 'sane' because they miss their true lives? Robin learning lessons about personal freedoms? A Bizarro Krypo? Nice updates. Heck, Waid even made Bizarro talk, which often can be aggravating to me, have some internal sense. And giving us Robin as the audience's POV character worked well.

The art is a mix of usual artist Adrian Gutierrez and Sean Izaaske. Both bring the insanity and their styles are different but flow well together. They also embrace the insanity, bringing some wild images.

I don't know if this is one of the better arcs for this high-ranking title. But it was a fun diversion.

On to the details.

Plastic City Comic Con Recap: Phillip Kennedy Johnson

At the end of last month, I attended the Plastic City Comic Con in Leominster Massachusetts. I always will try to support local shows and dealers as best I can. I have been to the show before and had a great time. 

This year there was also the announcement that Phillip Kennedy Johnson would be in attendance. Johnson is a favorite of mine because of his stellar work on Superman. I met him at last year's Terrificon but a lot has happened since then! Johnson has been on Hulk, a horror book I have been reading. He has been doing a mind-bending run on Batman & Robin. He even did a fun mini-series called Hellhunters from Marvel. He is one of those creators now who I follow to whatever book he heads to because I know I will be getting quality work. When the show happened, Superman: The Book Of El had not been released. 

So I knew I'd be heading there if I could. And lucky enough I had the day off.

The con itself is a perfect small con filled with a couple of big guests, some local artists, and some comic and toy dealers. It felt like there were fewer comic dealers than I remember the last time I went but I still got a couple of buys.

What I really liked about the con was it had a whole section just for kids. Comics needs a new generation. I was thrilled there was big area dedicated to that next group of comic readers.

But the big draw for me was meeting PKJ again.

Review: Action Comics #1090

Action Comics #1090 came out last week, the next chapter in Mark Waid and Skylar Patridge's look at the earliest adventures of Superboy. It is the big picture for sure. Clark is testing the limits of his powers, trying to reconcile having a secret identity, having a first love, discovering he has a weakness, and trying to understand the motivations of Captain Comet. Because we are looking at a teen boy exploring his boundaries and learning about life, it really resonates with this old man. 

Waid is having a blast with the work, weaving in humor, the trials and tribulations of being a teenager, all while bringing us super-heroics. It is a sort of 'Superman Year One' now that Superboy is back in the continuity. But if I have to be honest, it is the Smallville High stuff that I am loving most. Especially the Lana stuff. 

And speaking of Lana, Skylar Patridge's art, especially the Smallville High stuff. Patridge seems to know all the things that would drive young Clark into fits and she infuses Lana with all of it. The action stuff is fun too, including some cool looking robots throwing hands.

I am really getting a kick out of this, partly because I can see a little of myself in poor Clark pining for Lana. On to the book.

Review: Supergirl #5 (v8)

Supergirl #5 came out this week and was a sort of rest issue in the series, giving us side adventures of the Super-Pets while our main character and friends are mostly off-screen. I have loved this series since its inception bringing back so much that I love about Supergirl that I don't know if I was craving an issue like this, certainly not this early. It is a fun issue and very cute. It establishes personalities for each pet. And it is a done in one setting the stage for the next big story.

I wonder if part of the reason for the pause ... or is it paws (indeed the story is called 'Paws and effect') ... is to give writer Sophie Campbell some lead time to keep doing art for the more Supergirl-centric stories. 

We basically get two stories here. One is earnest, heroic Krypto and Lesla's super-bunny Kandy fighting Princess Shark. Kandy, much like Lesla herself, starts out thinking Krypto is her enemy before seeing the good in the dog and becoming friends. Paulina Ganucheau brings a children's book clean look to the art, just skimming Campbell's style.

The second story is Streaky, acting very much like a tempermental cat complete with mood swings. Joining the fight against some kittens mutated by Lesla's Super-Stuff is TinyTano who is figuring out what it means to be a hero. Here the art is much more standard super-hero fare by Rosi Kampe.

It was a silly issue and I love the pets having distinct character traits. But it just made me want more Supergirl adventures. The ending cliffhanger sets a good stage.

On to details.

Review: Absolute Superman #11

Absolute Superman #11 came out last week and continued down a brutal and bloody road to the conclusion of this first long form story of Superman fighting the Lazarus Corporation. And I mean, this is a terrifying issue with body horror and violence in a Superman book that could only happen in a Darkseid-based universe.

Jason Aaron uses an interesting technique to have the story unfold. Brainiac is implanting visions into Superman's head to try and make the hero break. Each false memory pushes Superman to violence and murder. As a reader, we know some of the pages are these implants immediately - scenes of Krypton and in Smallville. But then Aaron has some pages seem to be 'real events' only to have them later revealed sneakier mental prompts. It made reading the issue a bit fascinating as a reader as you needed to see if what you were reading was 'real'. 

But the most frightening part of this is Brainiac. The android is berated by Ra's. He has created drones of himself to aid him but tortures them. His dream is to have Superman kill him. He clearly is a crazed entity, filled with suicidal thoughts, self-loathing, and sadism. When you have your creations cut out their own tongues, you are a psychopath.

Rafael Sandoval gives us the vivisection cover of Brainiac about to cut into our hero's brain. Carmine DeGiandomenico provides the gory interiors. And he brings it from blood and guts to flayed skin and gunfire, this is an intense issue and the art brings it.

On to the book.

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #4

Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong #4 came out last week and pushed the story forward in an unexpected and very entertaining way. As always, you just have to let this comic wash over you like a wonderfully electric summer blockbuster movie. Time jumps? Tech miracles? Insanity? It's all good in a comic like this. Sit back and enjoy. 

Writer Brian Buccellato brings us this heady mix of super-heroics, kaiju battles, and Super Friends silliness. Yes, he needs to jump through some hoops to get everything together but it works. I mean, who knew I needed a Black Manta/Cheetah buddy movie? But I am a Supergirl fan and Buccellato continues to show her tremendous respect. Even depowered on this Monarch Earth, she is proactive and a leader. And we end with a cliffhanger that made me want more.

Christian Duce remains on art and continues to shine. His work on the kaiju are incredible detailed. His super-hero work is tremendous. Love the battle sequences. His Kara is fantastic. 

We're halfway through! What more insanity can come!

Review: Adventures Of Superman: Book Of El #1

When Adventures of Superman:Book of El #1 was announced, I was thrilled. Phillip Kennedy Johnson was coming back to Superman! And he was bringing Scotty Godlewski back too! The band was reuniting.

I loved Johnson's run on Action Comics. His Warworld Saga was fantastic. Superman was heroic and inspirational as he freed the slaves on Warworld from Mongul's grip. He added to the Superman mythos, bringing in the Super-Twins Osul and Otho, Thao-La and the Phaelosians, the Kryptonian philosopher Thaklis, and the elder god Olgrun. Even before that, back in Future State, he gave us the original House of El, showing us generations of the El family in the future.

I have wanted more. There were plenty of threads left hanging from Warworld. How was Thao-La doing as a leader? What of the traitor/ally Kryl-Ux, the man willing to betray his people to get close enough to Mongul to kill him, the ends justifying the means. And what of the 'horcrux' puzzle of Olgrun? Most importantly, what is happening with Otho and Osul, two characters who have basically been missing in the current Superman books.

This maxi-series looks like it is going to answer all of those. Kennedy starts with this explosive issue. It is an incredible book showcasing the contrast of the loving Kent family and the brutal remnants of Warworld. We get to see Kryl-Ux again and how his dreams of revenge have tainted him completely. And yes, we get the twins! But this is also a book set in the present and the future. It literally is a Book of El, telling the family history. If there is one thing Johnson does, it is world build.

Scotty Godlewski brings energy to the proceedings. Whether it is the sun-dappled Smallville and chores or intergalactic war or Kirby-esque cosmic drama, he does it all. In particular, the cosmic pages crackle, pun intended.

Count me in, smiling all the way. On to the book.

DC Comics Solicits November 2025

The DC Solicits for November came out a bit ago and it looks like another interesting month. Here is a link to the full solicits: https://aiptcomics.com/2025/08/15/full-november-2025-dc-comics-solicitations/

The big news is the Batman v Deadpool mini-series, an interesting DC/Marvel smash-up. I really doubt I will buy this book but it has some amazing variant covers for potential other team-ups. Zatanna/Scarlet Witch, Big Barda/Rogue, and Nightwing/Wolverine(Laura Kinney) are lovely. But variants alone are not enough to make me buy stuff. 

And DCKO continues to roll through the universe as well. Who will ultimately win the battle royale?

On to the super-books:

SUPERGIRL #7
Written by SOPHIE CAMPBELL
Art and cover by SOPHIE CAMPBELL
Variant covers by SOZOMAIKA, AMY REEDER, and MIKE CHO

It’s Thanksgiving in Midvale, and Kara is fretting over her first holiday home in a while. With plenty to be thankful for, Supergirl has nothing to worry about, right? Wrong! In an attempt to patch things up with her father, Lena has invited Lex Luthor and his girlfriend, Mercy, home for the holidays. What machinations could Lexcorp have for the sleepy little town? Find out as heroes and villains sit down to break bread and perhaps bones.

Love the cover with Supergirl in a wintry sweater, Princess Shark, and the super-pets ogling the Thanksgiving turkey. This feels like another 'done in one' fun issue. I am glad to see Lex seeking out his daughter. He is a controller and wouldn't want her to be out there and independent. 

Review: Justice League Unlimited #10

 Justice League Unlimited #10 came out last week and was a pretty busy comic, weaving three plot threads together while holding down one overlying arc. 

We just finished 'We Are Yesterday'. Time Trapper Doomsday, World Forger, and Gorilla Grodd had all escaped. Air Wave was revealed as a traitor but redeemed himself. And the Legion of Doom has been defeated.

What we get this issue is the aftermath of all that. And what I like about this is that DC seems to be a bit united in the entire line's storyline. Or maybe I am just reading the titles that are aligning. But Darkseid, and Doomsday are pretty big elements here as well as in the Super books. Given the link to the Absolute Universe and the upcoming mega-event DC KO, it feels like we are in a coherent and consistent universe right now. 

And I am glad that Justice League is part of it. The JL should be the axle the whole universe spins on. Writer Mark Waid has us dealing with Doomsday, Apokolipitian Fire Pits appearing on Earth, and an embedded threat. But the biggest thing in this issue is a sudden disruption in the Trinity. If hero is meant to fight hero in DC KO, you probably need dissension in the ranks. 

Meanwhile, Dan Mora continues to just light the comic world on fire with his incredible work. He is doing multiple titles too! But seeing his take on Metamorpho (again), Power Girl, and a new hero (for me) Capejos makes me want him to draw everything. 

On to the book.