Review: Superman #26

Superman #26 came out last week and was another solid issue for writer Joshua Williamson as he weaves a very classic-feeling Superman run. 

Last issue, Williamson had Mercy Graves turn on Superman, releasing X-El and leading to a mega-battle ending with the loss of Superwoman's powers. This issue, we are still marinating in that storyline. In particular, we get more great Superman/Lex interaction, the backbone of this book. We still have a couple of lingering plotlines out there that he catches us up on. But most importantly, he sprinkles in some new subplots, whetting my appetite for more. He even puts in a nice hook for the new Supergirl book too. 

I definitely like the Superman/Lex stuff as this still seems to be the 'good' Lex, the amnestic good guy reeling from his past.

The art is split between Eddy Barrows, bringing his usual feathery, pencil-stroke art and Sean Izaaske who has a rougher more visceral take. Barrows has always been a favorite. DC should just give him mini-series to write and finish in their entirety. Izaaske works well for his pages but his style breaks from Barrows in a startling way.

To repeat, Williamson continues to bring us a great Superman book, highlighting the main character but giving us great supporting cast moments and plot threads. On to the issue.

Rest In Peace Peter David

It was with sadness that I heard recently that Peter David had passed away after a few years of what sounds like medical hardship.

David's career is truly prolific including legendary runs on The Incredible Hulk and X-Factor. He also is known for Star Trek novels, independent characters, and other comic runs worth noting like Young Justice and Madrox. I honestly can't name all the things he did here without making this too long.

I felt I really needed to do some post to recognize David for his contributions to the Supergirl character. I have covered many of the issues in the long Supergirl run on the site (probably easiest to find by clicking the Peter David keyword). 

But I absolutely loved it.

Remember, this was the late 80s/early 90s Supergirl. This was the Matrix Supergirl, the super-powered protoplasm from the Pocket Universe. The Supergirl that was  schizophrenic then self-exiled to space then Brainiac's slave then Lex Luthor's duped girlfriend. She was finally finding her way around the death of Superman, leaving Lex behind and becoming a hero. But ... she was still a sort of mistreated and struggling.

Enter David, a self-proclaimed Supergirl fan. 

Starting in Showcase '96 #8, David started a longform story which stretched all the way to Supergirl #50! He had the Matrix Supergirl wondering if she was 'alive', did she have a 'soul', was she a hero. She sacrificed herself, merging with a troubled Linda Danvers. During the adventures we had this slow story of religion, redemption, angels and demons, free speech and human trafficking, and learning to love yourself.

This wasn't your grandfather's Supergirl. This was almost Vertigo-like in its look at religion and life and sin and forgiveness. 

It was glorious. Supergirl was a complex and complicated character, growing haughty and then brought low, learning about who she was and what her place was in the world. Brilliant.

But there was more.

Review: Justice League Unlimited #7

Justice League Unlimited #7 came out last week, the next part in the 'We Are Yesterday' storyline and taking another step forward in the eventual crossover of the main universe and the Absolute one. That Omega shape has been seen a lot lately and the FCBD story seemed to hint it's going to happen soon.

Writer Mark Waid continues to give us a fun story, showing us the new large League fighting a past-version Legion of Doom. I have enjoyed seeing him show the breadth of this JLU as well as the DCU (some special guests this time) as well as an old-school villain team. I have never been the biggest Grodd fan but I have enjoyed seeing him run this LoD, outsmarting Lex and coming close to ultimate power. There is even a redemption arc for poor Airwave, the unwitting traitor.

Travis Moore is on art this time and gets to stretch his legs a bit, giving us big action in different times with a large cast. He draws a pretty solid Grodd which can't be an easy task. 

I don't know if this storyline will be an all-time classic but it has been fun, especially seeing the 'past' incarnations of heroes and villains dealing with the present day world.

On to the issue.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #39

Batman/Superman World's Finest #39 came out last week, part four of the We Are Yesterday storyline that Mark Waid is weaving through several titles.

While the prior chapters have focused mostly on the plot of the villains (past incarnations of the Legion of Doom heading to the present to wreak some havoc), this issue lingers on our heroes and how time travel can befuddle the mind. This series' main characters - Superman, Batman, and Robin - are flip-flopped. World's Finest is in some else-when past. Our World's Finest crew is shunted to the present DCU. And the current versions - Superman, Batman, and Nightwing - is sent back in time to the title's timeline. It lets Waid have a little fun. Our Bronze Agey heroes have to deal with current times and some eye-opening changes.

I will admit, I liked this issue a lot, laughing out loud a couple of time. One page in particular made really chuckle. This felt almost like a character issue in this plot driven arc and that was fine with me.

Clayton Henry is on art and brings his smooth work to the pages. I was grateful for changes in Batman's costume in the different times to ground me on who I was reading. Solid stuff.

Let's dive in.

DC Comics September 2025 Solicits

The full DC solicits for August 2025 came out a bit ago and they sure do highlight that this is the Summer of Superman. There is a lot going on this month and both Superman and Supergirl get a lot of coverage.  Heck, I think I even saw a Kandorian Nightwing on the cover of Nightwing!

The whole month's solicits are viewable here:
https://aiptcomics.com/2025/05/16/full-august-2025-dc-comics-solicitations/

There is a lot to unpack so let's dive right in.

SUPERGIRL #4
Written by SOPHIE CAMPBELL
Art and cover by SOPHIE CAMPBELL
Variant covers by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU and EJIKURE
1:25 variant cover by AMY REEDER

In the aftermath of escaped Kandorian Lesla-Lar’s rampage through town, Supergirl learns there’s more to Midvale than meets the eye when Lena drags her to a secret club she never knew existed. Midvale, like her alter ego, may seem mild-mannered, but there’s something special about it. Out from under Superman’s watchful eye, Kara is ready to let loose no matter the disastrous consequences!

Great to see Amy reeder back on covers, even if it is the expensive variant.

As for Midvale being something special, given Sophie Campbell's love of Supergirl history, perhaps she is rolling in a 'Leesburg is over a Hellmouth' feel to this incarnation.

Love the cover. As usual, a feast for a Supergirl fan. Decay from Daring New! Someone who clearly is Wanda Five from the 70s series. And Lena looks so goth she could be Nasty from All-Star Superman!

Can't wait to read!

Review: Superman Unlimited #1

I am back from vacation and so catching up on reviews, the most prominent one being Superman Unlimited #1, written by Dan Slott with art by Rafael Alburquerque. This is the first newly titled,  planned monthly Superman book in a while and signals the beginning of the Summer of Superman, tied into the release of the upcoming movie. 

We have known from solicits for some time that Slott's plan was to have a storyline with an abundance of Kryptonite suddenly being on Earth. We saw what I thought was a prologue in the  FCBD DC All-In #1 book from Free Comic Book day. But it turns out that those 10 pages are reprinted here, the beginning of an over-sized first issue. So click that link to remind yourself about that story and the changes Slott is bringing to the supporting cast. 

I will remind people that this 'new status quo' of excessive Kryptonite can't last. So I think this is probably some backdoor re-imagining of the Kryptonite Nevermore storyline from the 70s. The facsimile of that story's first part, Superman #233, being recently released made me pause. The introduction of a new Edge family member is another nod given Morgan Edge first appeared in that earlier arc.

But I think Slott does an interesting thing with his first issue here. Yes, we see the giant Kryptonite meteor plummeting to Earth. And in the end, there is a lot of Green K on the ground. But the bulk of this issue is a sort of primer on Superman's history. Given pre-Crisis, Byrne's era, the New 52, Rebirth, and all the other soft reboots, it is hard to know what is and isn't canon. Slott gives us a decent timeline here and pulls from the Golden Age to the Donner films to give us this story. Hey, it's a number one and might be someone's first Superman story. Why not fill in some background?

Rafael Alburquerque's art just seems rougher than I remember it being in the past. There is sort of a lack of polish that I associate with his name. It is still solid art, especially given that story covers basically all of Superman's history. 

On to the book.

Back Issue Box: Action Comics #281

The new Supergirl #1 has hit the racks including a new Lesla Lar, a character that writer/artist Sophie Campbell hinted would be returning when the book was first announced.

Today I look at Action Comics #281 as I continue my look at the first storyline pitting Supergirl against Lesla Lar, the story leading into Supergirl finally being revealed to the world at last in Action Comics #285.

I've covered the first two parts here and here in which Lesla Lar, a brilliant but jealous scientist in Kandor basically demolishes Supergirl's life. In short order she depowers Kara, brainwashes our hero into thinking she is Lar, and then swaps places with her on Earth. Lar then teams up with Luthor with the ultimate plan to kill Superman and Lex and rule the world. And frankly, she has been doing a fantastic job of all of it, only being temporarily derailed.

This issue continues that arc and that sort of happenstance. Lar swaps places, moves ahead with her plans, and is temporarily detained by ... get ready ... Krypto! Writer Jerry Siegel and artist Jim Mooney craft a completely bonkers story with the Lar plot taking up the front half of the story, including Kara thinking she's Lesla and then playing Kara in a Kandorian made movie. (Seriously, the identity swaps and plot turns in this whole multi-issue story are just pure Silver Age insanity.) 

But it is the back-half that seems both out of synch with this story and yet completely in line with these early Action tales. Supergirl travels back in time and saves a town in early America from all sorts of natural disasters. It has nothing to do with the Lar story and feels almost like inventory pages. It also is exactly the type of  'guardian angel' story that dominated Supergirl's stories here. 

Jim Mooney flourishes here, especially in the story in the past as he gets to put Supergirl through her paces. And his panel composition is great.

So let's read this story!