Writer: W Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martín Morazzo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Cover Artists: Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran; Juan Ferreyra; Mike Choi
Editors: Jillian Grant, Paul Kaminski, Chris Conroy & Marie Javins
Design: Kenny Lopez
Publication Production: Tiffany Huang
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $5.99
Release Date: November 12, 2025
Clark Kent wanted to reconnect with his Kryptonian heritage. He has listened to audio archives describing his home world, but has yet to see images showcasing the planet's beauty. When his robots discovered strange remnants of Krypton, Clark welcomed the opportunity to learn more about his origins.
Batman argued against studying the new forms of Kryptonite. Still, he stuck by his friend, knowing Clark’s path would bring nothing but pain. Batman watched as Clark lost his perception of time, his human-sized stature, and his maturity. Along the way, Clark also lost the Fortress of Solitude, the trust of Metropolis, and his relationship with Lois Lane. So, when Batman helps him revert physically to his starting point, Superman concedes that Batman was right. Is that the end of Clark’s Kryptonite trials? Or is Clark’s life about to get even more Myxed up? Let’s leap into Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4 and see!
Story
While studying Purple, Cobalt, and Speckled Kryptonite, Batman also investigated Rainbow K. Unlike the other three remnants of Clark’s home world, Batman realized Rainbow K wasn't Kryptonite, but a distress call. And as Jimmy Olsen can attest, Superman always answers a cry for help.
After clutching a crystal of Rainbow K, Clark finds himself at the Daily Planet. As Clark speaks with Perry White, Batman and Lois Lane place his body on an examination table. Batman explains that Clark's mind has entered another realm. But it takes Clark a little longer to realize he has entered the 5th Dimension.
In Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4, the rules of life that Jonathan and Martha Kent taught their adoptive son no longer apply. Nor can Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van's teachings aid him. Not even Mister Mxyzptlk can help Clark. The imp can alert Superman to an imminent crisis, but he can’t suggest a solution.
W Maxwell Prince intertwines Clark’s dilemma in the 5th Dimension with Batman and Lois Lane’s attempt to help their friend. Amid this double-rescue plot, Lex Luthor reveals that his previous attacks involving new Kryptonite colors were just the opening salvos in a grand plan. As Clark struggles to come to grips with life in an imperiled realm, he confronts an opponent who has also endured childhood trauma. Like Batman and Superman, his opponent wants to know that he is building his life on a solid foundation. And in his absolute formula for life, imagination is the enemy.
Art
Martín Morazzo opens with people soaring above the streets of Metropolis via balloons, flying saucers, pegasi, and surfboards. A juggling walrus alerts Clark to his unreality. Clark realizes he's in trouble when Perry White casually points out that he's exposing his Kryptonian threads. Clark often hunches in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4, as if weighed down by life's demands. Still, his expression never conveys the misery on Lois Lane's face, as she stares down at her former boyfriend's rainbow eyes. Kookookachoo, Ms Lane.
As Chris O’Halloran lavishes a loaded palette on Martín Morazzo's art, purple shouts its presence. From a walrus' hat to the fish in his apartment to a diagram, purple links Clark's peril with that of Mxyzptlk. Lois' purple suit and the couch on which Clark channel-surfs also evoke the time-displacing quality of Purple K. The importance of purple in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4, and the fact that Rainbow K was an SOS, invite associations between Cobalt and Speckled K with Superman and Batman.
Good Old Neon places black and colored letters in white and colored balloons and boxes. The letters grow bold for intonation, enlarge for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. The font may be uppercase or lowercase, while printed text fills yellowed parchment. Amid the Myxture of art styles, sound effects accompany a slamming door, and Superman doing something he shouldn't be doing unless he's addicted to pasta. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.
Now, let's take a look inside:
Final Thoughts
One orphan feels alone while surrounded by people who love him. Another reveals that he is never alone, even when miles away from other people. While exploring the power of friendship and imagination, Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4 urges Clark Kent to reexamine how his past informs his present before Lex Luthor can destroy his future.
Rating 9.4/10
To revisit how this series began, see my review of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1.
To revisit Kaiju Clark's story, see my review of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #2.
For Superboy's adventure with Shazam, see my review of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3.
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