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.