Review: Superman Red & Blue 2025 Special

Last week, Superman Red and Blue Special #1 came out, a sort of autumnal surprise in this summer of Superman. I was a big fan of the original Red and Blue series, a prestige anthology series that came out 4 years ago (!!). As with any anthology series, that one had hits and misses. 

But I am happy to say that this special has four stories, all of which are very good and very entertaining. Whether planned or not, the stories seem to focus more on the person of Superman is and less on fast and furious action. 

Moreover, unlike some holiday specials which seem like a type of New Talent Showcase, this one is filled with names of established crators whose work I standardly love - Paul Dini, Mirka Andolfo, Dan Abnett, Rainbow Rowell, Cian Tormey, and Chris Samnee. It also has some established creators that are new to me like Michael Walsh and Caitlin Yarsky.

And yes, Supergirl shows up in the issue and I have to say there was a sigh of relief on my part as the story unfolded. 

So if you are looking for a lot of punches this might not be for you. But if who Superman is at his core is one of the things that intrigues you, you should seek this out for sure.

On to the stories. 

We open with 'Priceless' by Paul Dini and Mirka Andolfo.

In it, Superman is heading to the planet Pentari to obtain a rare and valuable crystal. He needs it to pay bail for Supergirl who racked up billions of dollars in damages and fines when she ran roughshod on the planet Kyrus.  

I bristled immediately.

I have had a fear that the terrible portrayal of Kara in Tom King's Woman of Tomorrow, the tormented, depressed soul drowning her sorrows in booze and anger would become the default mode for the character. If Paul Dini has adopted that view, perhaps my fears were justified.

The crystal is actually an organic extension of the baby of the dominant lifeform on Pentari so Superman has to do a little surgery to obtain it. While it won't harm the creature, it does attract the attention of the adult vicious giant worms nearby.

Luckily Supergirl shows up to lend a hand. Yes, she broke out of jail to help her cousin. She'll do anything for family too.

But Supergirl breaking out of jail is potentially a bad look for the character as well, as if she won't take responsibility for her actions.

I do like Andolfo's playful art in the story, especially her overly exuberant Supergirl. That panel with us seeing her sassy reflection in the falling crystal particularly works well.

But still, I was miffed at the core of the story - that Supergirl ran amok.

Then Dini pulls the rug out from under me in the most satisfying way.

It was Krypto, shown in the story as a super-playful pup like the movie, who did all the damage on Kyrus. Supergirl took the rap because the Kyrus court would have demanded he be put down.

I went from dismay to happiness over the portrayal of my favorite character. Superman bails her out with the crystal and the two cousins do some community service to help pay off the rest.

Loved this story and the plot twist. Superman being so devoted to Supergirl, her being devoted to him and Krypto, and the two working together at the end all just sang. 

Brilliant.

'All the time in the world' was written and drawn by Michael Walsh. 

This story shows how Superman's life could be a never-ending battle with emergency after emergency pulling him away from his everyday life. 

He almost forgets a lunch date with Lois but can't spend too much time there.

I did love this scene where Superman is just floored by the presence of his wife sitting there with her coffee. The love is palpable. 

But this is really a dizzying exercise in how he just can't slow down.

Saving buses, fighting robots, confronting Lex, stopping kids from hurting themselves by taking dares, missing Daily Planet work meetings, flying a dying man to a hospital when the ambulance can't make it there in time. 

Later, he heads back to the hospital to check on the patient. Dying, the patient thanks Superman for trying and for letting him feel what it was like to fly.

Exhausted, perhaps defeated, and definitely overwhelmed, Superman hears all the cries for help and slumps. It is a very powerful moment of what it must feel like to be him.

And then ... a miracle ... a therapy dog runs up to him and gives him this quiet moment of love and support. As someone who has seen the power of therapy dogs up close in a hospital setting, this felt spot on. 

I loved this story.

'Out of the ordinary' was written by Dan Abnett with art by Caitlin Yarsky.

Superman stops an alien robot invasion that lands in the very tiny Canadian town of Frimpton. The local feed rep is also the town reporter who asks for an interview.

This is one of those stories where Superman talks about how his human life is where he gets his most joy, his most satisfaction. While he doesn't reveal his name, he emphasizes that Clark is his real identity, Superman is the secret one.

Fun little story with crisp art by Yarksy.

 'Red Letter Days' is written by Rainbow Rowell with art by Cian Tormey, reuniting the team that recently did Lois back-ups in Action. And this is really more of a Lois story. 

It is another story about how busy Superman's life can be. He basically misses his anniversary with Lois.

But that night, the two work into the wee hourse working angles as Lois and Clark and breaking a story so big Lois stops the presses. It's less a Superman story and more a L&C one but that's fine. Lois and Clark, for me, are as important as Superman in the mythos. Beautiful story about their love and support for each other. And putting the last page in muted purple (red and blue I suppose) made it pop a little.

So very entertaining issue exploring Superman and his supporting cast. Well worth it.

Overall grade: A