Writer: W Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martín Morazzo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Cover Artists: Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran; Juan Ferreyra; Alex Eckman-Lawn
Editors: Jillian Grant, Paul Kaminski, Chris Conroy & Marie Javins
Design: Kenny Lopez
Publication Production: Tiffany Huang
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $5.99
Release Date: December 17, 2025
While Batman and Lois Lane ponder how to revive Superman from a coma, Mxyzptlk alerts him to a danger threatening the 5th Dimension. Mxyzptlk used the three new forms of Kryptonite to draw Superman’s interest. Along with Purple, Cobalt, and Speckled Kryptonite, the 5th Dimensional imp included a false Kryptonite. Rainbow-K resembled Kryptonite, but Mxyzptlk crafted it as an elaborate SOS. Batman risked his life to leap through the looking glass, but neither he nor his imp-fan Bat-Mite could aid Superman.
Thankfully, Superman conjured Kal-Elf to help him banish the imagination-hating Brian-iac and save the 5th Dimension. But when Superman and Batman return to Metropolis, they find Luthor has created Kryptonite Man. Can this clone of Lex Luthor, who can unleash all the deadly varieties of Kryptonite, defeat Superman? And will his army of Bizarro Bots help Lex Luthor control Metropolis? Let’s leap into Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5 and see!
Story
As Superman reels from Kryptonite Man’s attacks, Batman, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen yearn to help. But this is a battle between Superman and Kryptonite Man. As Superman reflects on this latest attempt of his homeworld to kill him, Lex Luthor looks on with glee. Kryptonite Man's lethal abilities prove what Lex has believed for so long: that Superman never belonged on Earth.
While W Maxwell Prince shares the narrative with Superman’s friends and foes, only Superman shares his thoughts with us. Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5 delivers a battle between heroes, villains, robots, and Kryptonians. Yet Superman’s struggle remains what he identifies as home. As he fights and his friends seek to aid him, Superman keeps thinking of Krypton as his home. And his home brings him nothing but pain.
As in DC K.O. #1, Superman doesn't want to defeat anyone. He believes in a world where everyone can win. Yet he clings to the past for his identity. Like the William Faulkner novel, which Lex Luthor quotes, Superman's focus means he can never reclaim the greatness that he has lost. But even if he can change his mindset, Superman faces an overwhelming opponent in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5. Like Darkseid, Lex Luthor won't stop until he slays Superman or subjugates him to his dominance.
Art
Martín Morazzo opens with a splash page showing Superman falling through the sky. Broken buildings and rubble-filled streets show the result of Superman's battle with Kryptonite Man. Unlike Superman's symbol of hope, Kryptonite Man bears a letter K on his chest. As Lex Luthor waxes lyrical about life in his power suit, he plucks a flower from the ground and incinerates it. The more his clone employs the power of Superman's former homeworld, the more crystals sprout from Kryptonite Man's arms, head, and body. Despite Lex's assertion that Superman doesn't belong on Earth, a two-page spread of the battle in Metropolis begs to differ.
As Chris O’Halloran lavishes a loaded palette on Martín Morazzo's art, green fumes sprout from Superman’s chest. Like Batman, gray overtakes Metropolis. Clad in his red and blue, Superman injects vibrant color on his adoptive homeworld in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5. Even when he flies, Superman leaves a red contrail behind. Yet as purple tinges Superman's memories, Lois Lane wears a purple blazer, suggesting a link with William Faulkner's novel and her inability to build a family with Clark.
Good Old Neon places black and colored letters in white and colored balloons and boxes. Superman’s white thoughts appear in blue boxes. Time-displaced dialogue appears as dark purple letters in lavender balloons. Robots speak black lowercase letters into rectangular colored balloons. The letters grow bold for intonation, enlarge for raised voices, change color for emphasis, and shrink for lowered voices. Letters also fill backgrounds amid narration and a desperate struggle for life. Furious sound effects accompany Lex Luthor's attempt to expel a tired, poor Kryptonian yearning to breathe free from Earth’s shores. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Superman lost his homeworld. His adoptive father’s ailing heart showed him that, like Krypton, Jonathan and Martha Kent’s farm would also die. When Superman studied Earth's history, all he saw was Human civilization's determination to destroy people's homes and cultural identities. Yet when he is at his lowest, Superman's friends make a desperate bid to give him a second chance at building a better future in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5.
Rating 9.6/10
For more on this series see my:
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5 Preview and
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 Review
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #2 Review
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3 Review
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4 Review
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