Superman is a character whom I’ve fallen in love with over the last few years for a multitude of reasons. The first is my general appreciation for the character and what he stands for: being and doing good for the love of life and everyone around you. In the bleakness that has lately seemed insurmountable, a beacon of hope has been something I like to lean on. Second is some of the media around Superman as of late, Tyler Hoechlin’s performance as the Man of Steel in the CW’s Superman and Lois is quite frankly amazing and remains one of my favorite Superman stories. James Gunn’s upcoming Superman film is something I’m also really looking forward to. Lastly, I’m reading and appreciating comics more now than I ever have in my life, and it’s hard to read comics without running into Superman. So I decided to dip into some of what are considered his greatest hits in comics, as well as picking up all the ongoing books he’s a part of, so as soon as the solicitations were released for Superman Unlimited #1, written by Dan Slott, art by Rafael Albuquerque and Marcelo Maiolo, and lettering by Dave Sharpe, it was immediately on my radar.
It seems like Slott is doing a Superman Comic that has been a long time in the making, and he’s now writing one of four Superman books alongside some really some really strong teams in other titles along with several other books Superman featuring the Man of Steel in some capacity. Hearing Slott talk about this book has been thrilling (Especially his interview with GateCrashers’ very own Dan McMahon, which you can listen to HERE), and reading this first issue paid off the thrill I’d been feeling.
So, how do you approach a character like Superman? A character with a long legacy, publishing history, and a lot of people in the public with very strong opinions. Dan Slott’s approach was to take the character’s history and tell you everything you need to know. He hits every major beat over multiple decades of comic history in a really interesting way, with Superman’s life flashing before his eyes, so it’s not just Dan recounting how Superman’s story has been told. This is the Man of Steel reminding himself of what his life has been.
Lois and the Daily Planet’s new owner, Imani Edge, are discussing how the planet will work moving forward. As he has many times before, Clark is called away by the duty of Superman. While out saving and helping so many different people, Superman can’t help but feel guilty that he’s been called away on a big day for Lois. “Every day is someone’s Big Day.” This line by itself shows Slott’s understanding of the character and how this issue and likely the rest of the run will be treated. Superman is then needed to stop a large asteroid from striking Earth. Normally, this is light work for the Man of Steel, but upon collision with this asteroid, it is revealed to be entirely composed of Kryptonite. This leaves Clark with only two options: go at this with everything he has and likely die in the process, or let the planet he calls home perish, and we all know he’d never choose the latter.
This brings me back to what I mentioned earlier, Clark is now face to face with a moon-sized chunk of his one true weakness. He’s fighting it with all his might, and it is killing him. Clark is simultaneously reliving every major part of his life, departing Krypton, crashing on Earth, being raised by the Kents, Krypto, the Fortress, moving to Metropolis, Lois, Jimmy, everyone else at the Daily Planet, all of his friends, both super and non. Then his rivalry with Lex, all his greatest foes, Doomsday, his (first) death, and eventual return to life. Marrying Lois, their son, Jonathan, being born, and growing up. In what seems to be the final moments, Clark calls out to Jonathan, asking him to pass on his love to everyone and to carry on for him. “Look out for ALL of them. They can be a good people, Jonathan, if you let th–”.
I can’t do the poignancy of this dialogue and these scenes from Clark’s life justice. The sequence of events is something that most people are at least vaguely familiar with, but in this context, with Clark’s narration, it just hits a little differently.
Superman wakes up on the Justice League Watchtower after a 3-month coma, surrounded by those he saw most frequently in his memories. His family, friends, and fellow Justice Leaguers are more than relieved to see the Man of Steel back on his feet. Batman, per usual, is the one who is immediately bringing everyone back to the current state of affairs, for Clark, it’s a much different one than he’s used to. Batman explains that a small nation called El Caldero has made itself a fortune selling the most valuable metal on Earth, Kryptonite. It feels similar to how Wakanda and Vibranium are treated in the MCU. Kryptonite allows people to rapidly accelerate their technology, but unlike vibranium, it directly affects the heroes in a negative manner, as shown by a bruised and beaten-up Supergirl and Superboy. When the world is flush with kryptonite, it brings the super family down to a more manageable level for those who wish to harm them.
This is where the Unlimited comes into play. I assumed that this was just meant to be a companion to the ongoing Justice League Unlimited. I assumed wrong. The end of this issue leaves us with Superman standing under Batman’s Spectrometer light glowing gold. Seemingly, he now has unlimited power and is no longer weak to Kryptonite. The imagery used here is akin to that at the end of Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman. I get the feeling that this may not be the only parallel we find in this story to it and some of Superman’s other great stories, even if it’s only in imagery.
Whether you’re a lifelong fan of Superman, a new fan, or have never read a comic before, this is a great jumping-on point. It’s very accessible and fun! Dan Slott, Rafael Albuquerque, Marcelo Maiolo, and Dave Sharpe seem to have something very special in store for us with this book. I really can’t recommend this first issue enough. With Superman hitting Pop Culture in a big, bad way the last few years, this feels like one step that I personally am so glad to be on as early as possible. Issue 1 is in stores now, and new issues will be coming out every month.