Writer: W Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martín Morazzo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Cover Artists: Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran; Juan Ferreyra; Tula Lotay; Alex Eckman-Lawn: Wes Craig (Foil)
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $5.99
Release Date: August 13, 2025
Superman gives thanks for all he has received. He cannot imagine more loving parents than Jonathan and Martha Kent. Earth, Humanity's home planet, has welcomed him enthusiastically. As Kal-El matured, he developed fantastic powers that he uses to repay Humanity for all they have given him. And yet, Superman yearns to know more about the planet of his birth and the parents who sent him to Earth.
When Superman discovers an asteroid embedded with fragments of Krypton, he sends a robot out to retrieve them. What will Bot 27 bring back for him to study? And what will these discoveries teach him about his past and his future? Let’s leap into Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 and see!
Story
Kal-El knows how unique he is. He also knows that villains like Lex Luthor are always waiting for him to slip up. His desire to meet Humanity’s needs, whatever the cost, drives him to know more about his past. So he spends time in the Fortress of Solitude, trying to improve himself in every way he can. Kal-El knows how Earth and its sun affect him. When one of his robots returns with an asteroid infused with new colors of Kryptonite, it seems like a gift come true. Superman can connect with the planet of his birth and see how new fragments of his world affect him.
W Maxwell Prince infuses Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 with pathos. Kal-El knows that his home world is poison to him. At least, the forms of Kryptonite he has discovered so far all harm him. Batman also regards his alien friend with warmth and foreboding. He knows that, at any time, Kryptonite could turn Superman into a near-omnipotent monster. Yet Prince also lightens the tone with humor, as Superman turns to his friend for help, and a villain plots to acquire these Weapons of Superman Destruction.
In Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1, Batman helps his friend study a shard recovered from the asteroid. When trouble erupts around the world, Superman isn’t ready to meet it. Reeling from the effects of the experiment, Kal-El should remain in the Fortress of Solitude until he recovers. Yet Superman flies off, intent on meeting Humanity's needs, whatever the cost.
Art
Martín Morazzo imbues the Fortress of Solitude with a geometric appearance. Squares rotate to form diamonds as Superman studies his computer monitors and reflects on his superpowers. His muscular body and his strong chin seem emblematic of his superhuman abilities. Spindly limbs sprout from the robots' Superman logo-shaped torsos. A yellow Superman symbol at the top serves as a face. One diagram in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 shows shards of the colors that can hurt him. The other reveals four new colors, but the danger they represent remains unknown.
While Chris O’Halloran paints the Fortress of Solitude in blue tones, he imbues Luthor's world with blue and green. Batman wears black and gray as he enters his friend's home. Yet white Krypto, a red cape tied to his neck, digs his teeth into Batman's black cape. The grayish-blue robots prove adaptable as they build and alter equipment in Superman's laboratory. Then Kal-El sinks into a green throne. Clamps lock him into place. When a purple starburst appears, Superman becomes a supernova.
Good Old Neon places black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. The bots speak lowercase words into blue boxes with lightning bolt arrows. Letter sizes range from small to generous, while the Batman and Superman logos adorn off-camera dialogue. Colored dialogue balloons reveal the effects of the friends' investigation, while sound effects accompany a violent puzzle that Superman must solve. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Kal-El may have superpowers. Yet like the Humans on his adoptive planet, he yearns for a deeper connection to his heritage and the people in his life. When he makes an important discovery, Superman thinks of sharing it with his friend. And perhaps, he holds out hope of finding a fragment of his home planet that isn't out to hurt him. Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 celebrates friendship, warns against perfectionism, and reminds us that we can always unleash the next era of our lives.
Rating 9.6/10
To look inside see the preview at Comic Book Dispatch.
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