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.

Bullet Review: DC KO #5

DC KO #5 came out last week, finishing the story and, in theory, rebooting the DC universe yet again. Will there be any repercussions from this reboot from a continuity view? It doesn't feel like it. It feels like this was both an event and a non-event as it swept through all the books, was labelled an event on the cover, but ultimately will need to no tangible change other than Superman being out of the books for a while.

Perhaps the most memorable thing to the book is the sort of rock-em sock-em plot, the fight club style issues leading to the championship bout in this issue. I think we all knew it would end up being Superman fighting Darkseid. Too bad the bracket wasn't a true bracket. This issue is a sort of boxing match of cosmic proportions with the Universal Ruler being the title. 

Scott Snyder does a fine job putting Superman as the center of the DC Universe again, setting him up to be the core of things. I also think the ending where Superman reveals his plan is true to his character. I don't know if there was any revelation here either. All that said, the book is filled with some solid moments if you are a fan of Superman.

Javi Fernandez and Xermanico are on art. The art is cosmic. Some of the pages are wonderfully composed. And there are good flourishes worth pointing out that make the book a pretty solid visual feast.

The parts are more than the whole in this series though. Nice moments throughout but that don't come together into something more.

On to those moments.

"That's Not Me"

Last Saturday, this picture was forwarded to me, a post on the Pre-Crisis Supergirl page on Facebook. They knew I would love it. This one would have missed be completely because Facebook is one of the social media platforms I am not on. 

To give credit where credit is due here is a link to that Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/176AkvCbYD/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I thought the post was brilliant, talking about how at times DC 'scoops out' Supergirl's hope and optimism and replaces it with 'trauma and disillusionment'. This is, for me, especially true of her portrayal in Woman Of Tomorrow. So seeing this picture of Supergirl chucking the Woman of Tomorrow book in the trash and saying 'That's not me.' was great.

I posted it on X with the simple words 'perfect post'. I feel this 'not me' sentiment about trauma and disillusionment is not only true of the pre-Crisis Supergirl, but the post-Crisis ones too - the Loeb reboot, the New 52, and the Rebirth ones. They all dealt with their history and rose above.

The tweet has grabbed some serious traction, one of the biggest ones I have ever had. As of 7a this morning, it was one of my most viewed tweets with 10K views. 

Of course, this led to some interesting responses as well. And while I think my position on this blog is easy enough to find, I want to make sure that I am abundantly clear. I have said all along, I will never begrudge people for liking what they like. If you liked Woman of Tomorrow, I'm happy for you. It just isn't for me.

I love the character of Supergirl for many reasons. One is that despite the tragedies in her life she has worked through them, beyond them, above them to be bright, optimistic, and hopeful. She wants to make sure no one else has to suffer like her. 'Help, Hope, and Compassion For All' was the perfect mantra for her.

I think some of the best stories I have covered on this site have been arcs where she has done just that - BizarroGirl by Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle/Bernard Chang stands out. As does 'Red Daughter' by Charles Soule, Tony Bedard, and others.

DC seems to think that Supergirl an interesting take for the character would be to turn her dark but time and again that has failed. I think that is because it doesn't work for the core of the character.

And frankly, Woman Of Tomorrow's dark take failed for me there as well. The drunk, angry woman who wants to be alone rather than with family isn't right. The young woman screaming in a sun, living 'a life of pain' isn't right. A Supergirl who brings a young girl to a stoning execution and allows a prisoner to be beaten to death after serving his sentence isn't right. 

It isn't right for me and how I think of Supergirl.

This doesn't mean I want her locked in amber, never growing or changing. I think Joshua Willaimson and Phillip Kennedy Johnson had her grow tremendously under their run.

This doesn't mean I want her stories to be saccharine fluff. I love Supergirl because she is so complex, still learning her way, still fallible.

I do not want her without hardships. Of course, in all her incarnations, she has had them. I just want her to have worked through the trauma, not wallow in it.

I want her hopeful and optimistic. 

I actually believe the movie, unlike the book, is going to lean that way. I think the movie is going to have the traumatized Kara seeing Lobo as what she will become if she stays on her current path and deciding she needs to change. I think in the end, this movie Supergirl will be hopeful. 

We shall see.

And kudos again to 'Tommy Cheatham' for the original post. Brilliant.

Review: Absolute Superman #17

Absolute Superman #17 came out this week, the finale of a quick two parter bringing Absolute Hawkman and Absolute Superman together to fight the Parasite. The first arc of this book was something of a slow burn, world-building and introducing our cast and fleshing them out. So this fast, action packed and brief story was an interesting change of pace.

Quick doesn't mean light or superficial. Writer Jason Aaron infuses the whole story with a comparison of Hawkman and Superman, their approach to 'heroics' and morality. Hawkman is an 'ends justify the means' guy. Superman is a much more inspirational figure, willing to sacrifice himself to save anyone else. Add in the Parasite, who seems more of a victim than a villain here, perhaps another way the Absolute Universe is a new angle and approach to characters. But the hero here is still Superman, who has matured in this book already, becoming the hero this world needs.

Juan Ferreyra again brings a sort of pastel panache to the proceedings. He brings the horror of the Parasite as well a Brainiac as well. This book has, at times, veered into body horror and we see that here. It is all gorgeously if not grotesquely rendered. 

I wouldn't mind a few more of these mini-arcs to help increase the mythos of this Superman.

On to the book.

April 18 - Supergirl Day

April 18th is Superman Day commemorating the anniversary of the release of Action Comics #1. DC Comics will usually celebrate with some special releases or a re-releases of trades and collections.

With the Supergirl movie being released in June, DC decided to make April 18th Supergirl Day this year. Incredible. 

If you want to read all about it, here is a link to DC's blog: https://www.dc.com/blog/2026-02-12/look-out-supergirl-is-taking-over

I started this blog in 2008 because I felt Supergirl was being overlooked and horribly mishandled. I wanted to shine a spotlight on my favorite character. So if you told me then that DC would be celebrating Supergirl day in advance of a major movie, I would think you were crazy.

So I will be here to celebrate Supergirl Day and I hope you will to.

At the heart of Supergirl’s Superman Day offerings is the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1 Superman Day 2026 Special Edition. This exclusive Superman Day sampler reprints the acclaimed first chapter of Tom King, Bilquis Evely, and Mat Lopes’s character-defining sci fi fantasy epic.

In addition to the Superman Day Special Edition, fans can also pick up two Superman Day–exclusive versions of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1 at their local comic shop while supplies last: a foil‑enhanced Special Edition ($9.99 US) and a blank sketch cover ($4.99 US), ideal for signings, sketches, and collectors.

Obviously the movie is based on King's story so the celebration will revolve a lot around that book. I don't particularly like the book's portrayal of Kara but it is clear this is here to stay. Will I buy these issues? It will be torn for sure.

But there's more.

Review: Superman #35

Superman #35 came out last week, another DC KO crossover and another chapter in the redemption arc for Superboy Prime. It succeeds on both fronts. There is an interesting wrinkle to the Doomsday storyline as well, perhaps leading into a dramatic event in the actual KO finale as well. 

Joshua Williamson has done a good job so far making me a little sympathetic towards Prime, veering into actually liking him. Prime has learned some hard lessons and continues to do so in this arc, reminding him why Superman was his hero so long ago. This issue Williamson reminds us who Prime has been in the past, and maybe showing that he still has some darkness in him. Perhaps some down to Earth Kent wisdom will help tamp down the remaining vitriol.

The Doomsday piece does intrigue me as it is basically a new element to his origin and changes him fundamentally. I suppose that Doomsday becoming the Time Trapper was a big step already, one that makes some sense. I recall hearing that Dan Jurgens didn't like that change so I doubt Jurgens will be on board with this one either.

Eddy Barrows is again on art and continues to show why he is a favorite. The fight scenes are brutal. There are emotional scenes with heft. The pages layouts are interesting. But the high water mark for art here is the expressive work, a strong part of Barrows' art.

Will the events of this change the climax of KO? I think so.

On to the book.