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.

We start with Prime walking out on to 'the stage', talking directly to us. 

What I love about this is his simple explanation of where the story is going to go. 

It's going to be fun. It's a hero's journey. There'll be life lessons. He'll beat up some super-villains.

That is everything I want in a comic book. Everything I want to read with my heroes. What I wouldn't give for a Supergirl book with that sort of simple game plan.

What do I say Prime? Count me in.

In the aftermath of DC K.O. , Prime is working out on the Watchtower. 

A bunch of the women heroes decide to gaze longingly at him. Love the banter from Zatanna, Katana, and especially the Huntress.

I do wonder if this is because they all have a crush on the unavailable Superman and Prime is sort of close? Or perhaps they all like the Bad Boy (proven by Zatanna's trench coat comment)?

Have to admit, I laughed out loud.

Meanwhile, Mr. Terrific is laying out all the things Lois is should be concerned about after the event.

She has lost her powers.

Superman is missing.

But most importantly, they all have a Prime problem. His greatest power is his knowledge of everyone from his comic book reading. He could use that against them all. Or it could be exploited.

I like that Lois is nonchalant about Superman being gone, talking about Warworld, dimensions, and even death.

And given Prime's history, I can understand Terrific's worries. Somehow Lois rises above it all and decides to take Prime in. 

In Metropolis, she says Prime needs to set up a life, to normalize himself. He needs a secret identity, a job. Or he should just head back to his home world.

I can't believe that Williamson went into the well and brought back the 'reality punch' power of Prime breaking the walls of reality. I love how Mora portrays it as punches so fast you don't even see the arm. 

The reality punch is probably the nuttiest part of Prime's history. 

But Prime decides he wants to stay and become the next true Superman. He'll earn all the covers and variant.

Fun to see this page by Mora. I recognize some of the covers here for sure. I like the 'chibi' variant one.

Prime is a collector!

His quest for normalcy is interrupted by the arrival of Ignition, from the Joe Kelly era of these books in the 90's. There is nothing more 90's than the bulky armored Zod crony. He is the perfect villain for Prime.

But after a beatdown, Prime seems to kill Ignition only to suffer 'deresolution' into pencils. Look close on the page and you see the blue dotted lines of a blank art page that pencilers draw on. This is truly a comic page we are looking at.

What is happening? What a mystery?

Is Williamson inserting himself like Grant Morrison in Animal Man, not allowing Prime to go evil? Meta on meta on meta!

Color (or uncolor?) me intrigued!

Prime decides Lois is right.

He gets a job in a comic book store that looks sort of like New York's Midtown Comics. 

What better life could you have than organizing comics and getting paid for it.

It makes sense for Prime's character too.

He even sets himself up in an inner-city studio apartment that looks like something a young Peter Parker would be living in. 

And he certainly does have a way with the ladies as his downstairs neighbors have already offered to help get him settled. 

But then we get a great cliffhanger. Remember that Mr. Terrific warned about Prime's knowledge being exploited by someone. Why not everyone's favorite dead, psychotic psionic Manchester Black?

We haven't seen Black in 3 years, since Action Comics #1050 Lex killed him, using Black's mind to erase Superman's secret identity from the general populace mind. He seems like a wraith here.

Nice cliffhanger. 

This whole issue was just pure entertainment. From the fourth wall busting to the Ignition beatdown to the women into Prime to the sketch panel to Black, this thing was what comics should be. It echoed that opening page sentiment all done by Dan Mora. 

Fun. Hero's journey. Life lesson. Super-villains being beaten up.

It is a simple recipe!

Overall grade: A+