Review: Superman #36

It is only March but I can tell you that if I had a vote for Best Comic Writer of 2026 in any of the major award ceremonies, I would vote for Joshua Williamson. Somehow Williamson has made a character I have despised for a score years somehow likeable. A Superboy Prime book I am enjoying?? Who'd have thought.

Superman #36 came out this week beginning Prime's run as the main character in the book, part of the Reign of the Superboys event crossing the titles. Somehow there is an 'aw shucks' aspect to this Prime as he gleefully, almost nerdily recounts all the comic knowledge he has to the faces of the heroes. I can't help but smile as he fourth-walls his way through event fatigue and reboots. But even with this sort of fanboy sensibility, there is still this undercurrent of menace that continues to surge now and then. It makes me doubt my own take on the book, wondering if Prime is going to let me down again. 

In this book, he is trying to establish himself in the main DCU for the first time in a while. What does he do with his time? Who does he hang out with? What do others think of him? Why are all the women attracted to him? This read like a first issue, sort of laying the groundwork while adding a big mystery and throwing in a great cliffhanger.  Kudos to Williamson.

Dan Mora is back on the book and makes the whole thing crackle. From cover homages to the JLI women sort of panting over Prime to an Ed McGuinness-esque villain from the 90s to that cliffhanger, everything just leaps off the page. But my favorite page of his is the one stoking the mystery. More on that later.

A Superboy Prime I am excited to read. Who would think it could happen? On to the book.

DC Comics June 2026 Solicitations

The June solicits for DC Comics were released last week. If interested in the seeing all the solicits, checout here: https://aiptcomics.com/2026/03/20/june-2026-dc-comics-solicitations/

Hope all Supergirl fans have been putting away some money because the Summer of Supergirl continues into June. There are a lot of books on the shelves in June during this month when the movie hits the big screen. I am quite happy that Supergirl is getting such a spotlight! 

So let's get to the Supergirl books and the other super-titles.

SUPERGIRL #14
Written by SOPHIE CAMPBELL
Art and cover by SOPHIE CAMPBELL
Variant covers by TERRY DODSON, BRUNO REDONDO, and CHRISSIE ZULLO-UMINGA
Supergirl movie variant cover by JIM LEE

Nothing can stop Black Flame as she continues to amass power in Kandor. Meanwhile, Lena Luthor searches for Supergirl before it’s too late for the bottled city. Will Lena’s new invention be the key to turning the tide of the battle? Can Kara learn the secrets of the S-Matrix before they’re all found by Black Flame?!

There is a lot to unpack in this solicit, for sure. Let's start with the cover, an homage from a Tom Grummett pin-up that was in the back of Supergirl and Team Luthor special.

The solicit makes it sound like Lena is going to save Supergirl's bacon as they fight Black Flame. But the word that sticks out is 'S-Matrix' ! Given there was a period where Supergirl was Matrix Supergirl, I wonder if this is another look back by Sophie Campbell. 

Perhaps Lesla's 'super-stuff', that goopy stuff, is going to be some 'protoplasm'? Hmmm ...

On to more books -

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #49

Batman/Superman World's Finest #49 came out last week, the finale of a quick two-parter sending our heroes to Earth-3. The first part really threw out a lot of ideas that I thought could be mined. But this one came and went quickly setting up next issue's anniversary fiftieth issue.

Mark Waid is joined by writer Mark Russell on this story. I wonder why that happened. Waid has been writing a lot of titles and took over Flash during DCKO. So perhaps he needed a little script help? The other thought I had was that this was some sort of backdoor pilot for Russell. I can imagine a Earth-3 mini-series by him with villains as heroes and heroes as villains. Regardless, this is a bit of a sprint to the finish which sort of left me feeling a little bit empty after the full joy of part one.

Marcus To is on art and gets to play in the sandbox, bringing in a bunch of characters from the DCU into the story including a team of 'heroes', classic DC villains flipped on Earth 3. I had to grab this variant by Nathan Szerdy with Kara and Dick out for burgers and perhaps dishing a bit about the other date we see in the shadows.

I loved the last issue as we got to see the other 'syndicates' on Earth-3. So I hope that Waid (and/or Russell) gets to explore this world again some time.

On to the book.

Review: Superman Unlimited #11

The Reign of the Superboys event has seeped into all the Super-titles these days. The one title I was most interested in reading was Superman Unlimited when it was announced that a de-aged, true Superboy Jon Kent was going to star in it with an unknown masked Superman/Batman amalgam character in tow.

I loved Super-Sons. I loved young Jon. So I don't think I every truly liked the aging up of Jon. But I was able to tolerate it, hoping a new Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes would take of. Alas, it didn't. And moreover, what happened to Jon after the failed LSH made the decision seem even worse. His own stories, his own books, everything DC did to put him in the forefront ... frankly, none if it was very good. So now a questionable creative decision was made worse.

Perhaps this event was a way for DC to put the genie back in the bottle, reset the mistake. After reading this issue, it doesn't seem like that is going to happen. Writer Dan Slott has put in a time demon, a fourth-dimensional villain who is able to bring back young Jon. But it seems more like a stunt than a reset. At least we'll get this glimpse of him. One thing I do like is Slott seems to point out that creatively Jon has lost his way in the last few years. There are no memorable stories.

New title artist Lucas Meyer is the big news here. He gives us a strong, inspirtational, iconic Jon as he speaks his truth. We get to see how Meyer would handle to larger super-family. He gives Txyz a playful malevolence. But the best thing is the Image-esque Tomorrow Man we meet, complete with big pouches, thigh belt, and facemask. The whole book is crisp and lovely.

On to the details.

Supergirl: Survive

The Summer of Supergirl continues with an Elseworld that was recently announced, Supergirl:Survive. Here is a brief piece about it: https://aiptcomics.com/2026/03/17/dc-preview-supergirl-survive-1/

Supergirl:Survive will hit the shelves on June 3rd. It is written by Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan with art by Rod Reis.  The book is said to center on survival, family, and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.

It is hard to know about what to think about the book from this brief blurb:

Supergirl: Survive drops readers into a harsh reality where Krypton is collapsing, and General Zod is tightening control. Teenage Kara Zor-El and baby Kal-El are sent off together in an experimental rocket, forced to navigate a universe that is anything but welcoming.

Having a young Supergirl armed with a gun front and center isn't exactly the most welcoming picture. But I suppose given the sword-wielding Woman of Tomorrow, I shouldn't be too surprised. I keep hoping to see a Supergirl as a fierce, optimistic, bright, and justice-seeking hero. I don't know if pistol-packing Kara necessarily will fit the bill.

And, of course, the universe is going to be anything but welcoming. Because we need a dark take on Supergirl ... again.

These are obviously first impressions on an Elseworlds book. This isn't canon. If Superman can fight for the Union Army in the Civil War and Batman can fight Jack The Ripper, why can't Supergirl shoot at people. For all I know, she is optimistic and justice-seeking. I will be buying for sure.

 

I haven't read anything by the Parker/Sheridan team. A brief look shows they are most known for a Green Goblin book, and titles Kill Your Darlings and Blink And You'll Miss It. In other interviews they talk how characters finding their identity is a sort of central theme. I'd love to hear from anyone who has read their stuff.

I am thrilled Supergirl is getting this push from DC. There haven't been many Supergirl-centric Elseworlds (Wings being the only one I really know of). They are giving her a good push and that makes me happy.

There are some sample pages in the link above.

I know Reis mostly as an inker so it will be interesting to see him as main artist.

The pages have a sort of water color feel and maybe a hint of Phil Noto. 

What do you think?

Review: Action Comics #1096

Action Comics #1096 came out last week, another chapter in Mark Waid's look at Superman when he was a boy and part of the 'Reign of the Superboys' event. I have thought this whole look back as a sort of 'Superman Year One' has been pitch perfect. This issue has a little bit of timey wimey stuff that was a little tough to follow but continues to show how Superman became Superman.

Waid continues to put a modern sort of take on classic elements of Superman's mythos. Pete Ross knows the secret identity, Lana loves Superboy while Clark pines, General Lane has always been suspicious. It all works. In this issue, we see Superboy dealing with the fact that there is always an emergency he could be dealing with. How does he go about his own every day life when he could always be heroing?

The cliffhanger definitely brings up a time travel conundrum of how Superman doesn't remember meeting other heroes in his past? Hopefully Waid answers that question.

Skylar Patridge is back on art and continues to shine. Clark looks like a teenager. Lana looks like that perfect 'girl next door' who would entrance Clark. And the action continues to be dynamic. To be honest, if there was a 'Superboy's girl friend Lana Lang' special with Patridge art, I would be there!

Dan Mora's cover is fun, with Superboy lacing up his Chuck Taylors. But who is the ghostly hand? The post-KO Superman? Or one of the guests we see at the end.

On to the book.

Review: Supergirl #11 (v8)

Supergirl #11 came out this week and was another one of those issues that I feel a little torn about. 

There are parts of this issue that show me the Supergirl I want to read, thinking about her family, trying to help her friends, standing up to evil, and fighting to the end. I really love that Supergirl. 

But the tough part about this is that we are nearly a year into this run and we haven't seen Supergirl have an outright win. We haven't seen her save her friends and trounce evil. Almost every issue has her friends helping her out. At times she seems like a member of an ensemble cast instead of the straw stirring the drink. And there is a hinted possible romantic relationship that could tear this fandom apart, something I have seen before.

In this issue, Supergirl recognizes that as much as she wants to find the missing Superman, she has to help Kandor. She has to help Lesla. She finds a youth revolution tearing up the city, led by the nihilistic, sadistic Black Flame. And like a hero, Kara stands up to Black Flame only to be stabbed repeatedly, left for dead.

Yes, we need conflict and seeing Supergirl in peril means the ultimate victory will be sweeter. But this loss might be better received if prior issues had Kara mopping the floor of some opponents.

This Sophie Campbell written story fell just a bit flat, buoyed by the high points I'll point out.

One thing I have no complaints about is the art. Campbell's work is stunning. The Black Flame/Supergirl fight is brutal. The hits are palpable. The blood is flowing. And the choreography of the fight is phenomenal. One thing I really love is that the pages with Black Flame have slanted and odd shaped panels, as if to show that everything is off kilter with her. Nice touch.

On to the books.