The Deadman #4 Review

 

The Deadman #4 Review

Writer: W Maxwell Prince

Artist: Martín Morazzo

Colorist: Chris O’Halloran

Letterer: Good Old Neon

Editors: Chris Rosa & Paul Kaminski

Cover Artists: Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran

Variant Cover Artists: Chris Brunner & Rico Renzi; Hayden Sherman; Chloe Brailsford

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99

Release Date: September 2, 2026

 

Boston Brand believed his job was important. He assisted the dying as they transitioned to the next stop on their eternal journey. He even granted them amnesty from eternal suffering if someone loved them. But on his recent visit to Hell, the Deadman realized he isn't the final arbiter of how a soul spends eternity. So now, Boston isn't conferring with the Rama Kushna. He's acting on his own initiative and thinking higher thoughts.

 

Will Yahweh be less parsimonious with the truth about the Syphons who devour souls like Mr M dines on the living? And what colors of crayons make God rejoice? Let’s leap into The Deadman #4 and see!

 

Story

The more he contemplates what he learned in Hell, the angrier Boston Brand gets. Rama Kushna led him to believe that what he did was important. But after discovering that Lucy could override his decisions, Boston’s role in eternity seems purposeless.

 

In The Deadman #4, Boston lives in Robertsville along with other spirits of the departed. While he has a body and freedom of movement, the others aren't so fortunate. Even though he's dead, Boston can still learn and grow like a living person. Most of the ghostly residents of Robertsville are stuck in their final moments of life, reliving the traumas that tormented them. Bobby died many years ago. Yet, he retains a boy’s interests, emotions, and attention span. He lacks a job to define him. So, after accompanying Boston to Hell, Bobby regards the forces disrupting the souls' cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth differently.

 

Boston may have an inflated opinion of his cosmic importance. He may not be as virtuous as he believes. Yet, as Boston undertakes a journey in W Maxwell Prince’s story, he gradually remembers that he is a servant. Boston can make requests. But just like Boston plays fast and loose with the rules, his bosses don’t have to play by his rules. And while he is accustomed to looking down on the boy because of his limited understanding, Bobby both helps and hinders Boston’s search for understanding in The Deadman #4.

 

Art

Martín Morazzo portrays Boston's heavenly journey via nine-panel grids. As Boston unleashes his anger, his features take a demonic turn. Bobby's youthful features also transform when he tries to tamp down Boston’s anger. Like most souls, flames rise from Bobby’s head. And as the ghosts fly above Robertsville, they resemble burning people. Cognizant of the bigger picture, Boston takes an escalator to Heaven. Yet like the souls circling above his town, the escalator doesn’t take a straight path through the sky.

 

Despite his usual calm, thoughtful demeanor, Boston’s red costume links with the anger that leaps to the forefront when faced with injustice. Chris O’Halloran uses blue to link Mr M with someone Boston meets in Heaven. Like the fiery yellow souls, Boston rides a yellow escalator. While the Syphons have violet skin, beige fills Heaven. Even more strangely, while faded green links Robertsville with Heaven's gatekeeper, green glows vibrantly amid Mr M’s beautiful cycle in The Deadman #4.

 

Good Old Neon fills white and colored boxes and balloons with black lowercase letters. The letters showcase a wide range of sizes and fonts. White uppercase letters in black balloons express anger, while colored letters in black balloons convey power. Balloons grow spiky when Mr M takes an important video call and when he listens to a radio report about cosmic events facing a superhero team. Yet while a chime offers hope, red uppercase letters in black boxes seem intent on robbing Boston of victory. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

While Boston Brand exists outside of time, Mr M fears it. The former Nazi has done his best to defy it. As he disrupts Rama Kushna’s Spiritual Math, Mr M rejoices in the beauty of his alternative cycle. While the Syphons from the Book Of Bedlam devour souls, Mr M hopes his New Math will give him a youthful glow for eternity in The Deadman #4.

 

Rating 9/10

 

To look inside see The Deadman #4 Preview. 

 

For earlier issues, see

 

 

 

 

The Deadman #3 Preview  

 

 

 

The Deadman #2 Review and 

 

 

The Deadman #1 Review  

 

The Deadman #2 Review

 

The Deadman #2 Review

Writer: W Maxwell Prince

Artist: Martín Morazzo

Colorist: Chris O’Halloran

Letterer: Good Old Neon

Editors: Chris Rosa & Paul Kaminski

Cover Artist: Martín Morazzo

Variant Cover Artists: Lucio Parrillo, Mark Spears, Alex Eckman-Lawn & Stevan Subić

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99

Release Date: July 1, 2026

 

While the patients in the Outer Gotham Rural Hospital ride the morphine drip, Boston Brand rides through their memories. Sure, he's a voyeur. But he likes people. He'll give a villain a pass into Heaven if someone loved them. And as Boston assists souls in transition, he sometimes performs a miracle to give the dying a second chance at life.

 

But while Boston Brand reveres life as an Outfit Changing Spectral Super-Entity, others feed off it. They devour souls of the newly dead and relish the taste of living flesh. Can Rama Kushna empower Boston Brand to defeat more than light bulbs? And why have demons invaded Gotham? Let’s leap into The Deadman #2 and see!

 

Story

Rama Kushna may reprimand Boston for never being on time, but she enjoys a childlike love of the world around her. Only the world around her isn't just Earth, but the wheel of Samsara on which our souls generate Karma. Yet just as Darkseid threatened to turn Earth into Apokolips, and a plague spirit threatened to wipe out musicians in the Magical Realm, Rama Kushna believes that spirit-eating demons threaten the balance between life and anti-life. So, she sends Boston Brand to Gotham to help identify the demon that chomped Jesse "Flyeater” Hollern’s spirit-head after his road accident.

 

While Rama Kushna believes Batman can help Boston Brand identify the demon, Batman also conducts a supernatural investigation in The Deadman #2. Aided by Plastic Man, Batman seeks to prevent Lazarus Rising from smuggling capsules of resin from Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pits into Blackgate Penitentiary. Yet Boston seems reluctant to leave his tiny suburb of Robertsville. Lorna still lives there. And like him, she

mourns the life they might have had.

 

As W Maxwell Prince shares Boston and Batman's investigations, Rama Kushna and Plastic Man address the reader. While they reveal the crimes that threaten Humanity, Boston, charged with caring for people's souls, seems reluctant to play his role in this cosmic struggle. But then, Boston reveres life. By slipping inside people, he can share their joys and sorrows. And as Boston Brand leaves his comfortable home in Robertsville, he will confront people who treat the living like dirt in The Deadman #2.

 

Art

Martín Morazzo opens with a series of one-page introductions. An intricate gold frame introduces Rama Kushna’s spiritual teachings and her instructions to Boston Brand. Plastic Man’s body elongates around panels as he shares his investigation with Batman. The title page sandwiches Boston's relationship with the woman he lost between panels of himself and the friend he found. Then, a banner headlines the Bibliophile’s cautionary tale. As the action gets underway, Batman and Plastic Man tackle mummies at the Gotham Wharf. And while contorting himself more than Lorna’s sorrow twists her soul, Plastic Man forms his body into a coffin, and one fist into a pyramid.

 

As Rama Kushna and Boston Brand set the Samsara-ending stakes, Chris O’Halloran casts this nighttime world of The Deadman #2 in blue. Batman wears a brighter blue as Boston’s white face also takes on a blue hue. Red links Plastic Man with Boston, two heroes with ignoble pasts. Bobby, trapped in his spirit form, wears yellow clothes. While a light green fills the Blackgate Penitentiary, richer shades define Batman. And as Rama Kushna wears an indigo dress, the king of the soul devourers wears an indigo sweater. Yet when Mr M confronts his next victim, orange fills his eyes, and his glasses capture a nearby yellow light as he casts a sapphire shadow.

 

As W Maxwell Prince packs his story with dialogue and Boston’s thoughts, Good Old Neon fills boxes with black lowercase letters. The letters showcase a wide range of sizes and fonts. Batman and Plastic Man introduce their investigation with blue and red boxes. While letters in black boxes locate the reader on the physical plane, a spiky balloon highlights Batman’s search for answers. Yet colorful sound effects and screeching force Boston to rethink his strategy as he undertakes his own search for the truth. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Even though Boston Brand knows people can change, he tends to regard people in static terms. As he slips into people to experience their minds and souls, he finds them more complex than he imagined. Yet while Boston seeks help identifying Jesse “Flyeater” Hollern’s spirit-killer, the abduction of Gotham’s brightest stars continues in The Deadman #2.

 

Rating 9/10

 

To look inside see my preview of The Deadman #2. 

 

For what happened last time, see my review of The Deadman #1.

For the creators' last series, see my review of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1. 

 

 

End Of Life #5 Review

 

End Of Life #5 Review

Writer: Kyle Starks

Artist: Steve Pugh

Colorist: Chris O’Halloran

Letterer & Designer: Becca Carey

Cover Artist: Gerald Parel

Variant Cover Artist: Matt Taylor

Editors: Matthew Levine & Chris Conroy

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (cardstock)

Release Date: June 17, 2026

 

Richard Smiley hasn't had much reason to smile lately. After losing his status as a national treasure and the income from his Wrong Dog theme park, the cartoonist forms a gang to terrorize his hometown. Then, into Pluto walks Eddie Stallion. And when he protects Leona and her son Trent from Richard's thugs, Eddie gains two friends for life.

 

Unfortunately, Eddie's received a death sentence from his former employer. After he helped the Murder Brothers raid the Raven's home, all the Menagerie's hired killers are gunning for him. Can Eddie evade the masked murderers long enough to rescue Trent from Richard Smiley? And after the Menagerie's top tracker visits George Stallion's home, does Sophie, Eddie's ex-girlfriend and a hospice nurse, need to visit Eddie's father in the future? Let's grab a gun and a mask, leap into End Of Life #5, and see!

 

Story

Eddie’s life used to make sense. But now, nothing adds up. He can’t adjust to small-town life. Nor is Eddie used to rescuing people or tracking them down. When Leona demands that he find Trent and bring him back to her, Eddie declaims any responsibility for Leona’s woes. So, Leona reminds him why she won’t let her son play in the woods anymore. And with the corpse of the Menagerie’s latest arrival near the gas pumps outside her minimarket, the police are only one phone call away. If Eddie hasn’t returned her son by the time they arrive, she may suggest the cops take a tour through the surrounding woods.

 

Without a handler to handle the details, Leona puts Eddie in a pressure cooker in End Of Life #5. The clock is ticking until the police descend on Pluto and create enough radio traffic to let everyone in the Menagerie know his whereabouts. Eddie realizes he must cobble together a game plan fast. He may not be a Menagerie tracker like Drahthaar. But even if he didn’t want to be there and tried not to get involved in people’s lives, Eddie listened to them and discovered their interests.

 

As Eddie gathers information, formulates his strategy, and launches into action, Richard Smiley also struggles to think on his feet. Like Eddie, he thought money could solve all his problems. As he rose to prominence, Richard believed his success would last forever. He may not have raided a Menagerie boss’s mansion. But after he lost his career through his poor choices, Richard realizes he’s made another one in Kyle Starks’ story. 

 

He abducted Trent in the heat of the moment. Now, the cartoonist doesn’t know what to do with the boy. As both men scramble to make the best out of a bad situation, Eddie Stallion and Richard Smiley both stand to lose in End Of Life #5.

 

Art

While Leona lashes out at Eddie, Kodiak’s corpse lies between them as Richard Smiley’s signature creation looms in the background. When she responds to his question with shock, Eddie’s jaw drops as realization strikes. As she demands he act, Eddie rubs his styled hair and looks away. Steve Pugh shows the SUV leap over a rise like a Rally car. While Rico urges calm, his boss has a meltdown. But Trent, who longs to tap on trees with sticks, gazes around and enjoys the ride.

 

As Chris O’Halloran lavishes bright colors on End Of Life #5, Leona’s green blouse links with Richard Smiley’s sweater as both people grow determined to resolve the situation. While Rico drives the indigo SUV, he urges Richard to let Trent go. Like another person who wears a blue shirt, Trent ignores their conflict and looks forward to what the next minute will bring. A person wearing an orange shirt misses the good old days when she had more than she has today, while a yellow map reminds Eddie that little time remains before the worst occurs. He may be angry that everyone blames him for the situation. Yet as violet fills the sky, Eddie races to save the day in his red suit and sneakers.

 

Becca Carey fills white dialogue balloons with black, uppercase letters. The words grow bold for intonation and shrink for whispers. Fear swells words while shock turns them red. Metallic clicks signal danger, while booms signal that death has arrived in Pluto. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

After his mother left, Eddie Stallion never got along with his father. Growing up, he felt fatally flawed. Becoming a Menagerie killer helped Eddie develop a sense of self-worth. But after mastering his job skills and living the high life, Eddie discovers that his father invested his earnings much more wisely. Sadly, it may be too late for this Wrong Dog to learn new tricks in End Of Life #5.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of End Of Life #5. 

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of End Of Life #4.

For what happened before that, see my review of End Of Life #3.

For how this series began, see my review of End Of Life #1. 

 

The Deadman #1 Review

 

The Deadman #1 Review

Writer: W Maxwell Prince

Artist: Martín Morazzo

Colorist: Chris O’Halloran

Letterer: Good Old Neon

Editors: Chris Rosa & Paul Kaminski

Cover Artist: Martín Morazzo

Variant Cover Artists: Tula Lotay; Frank Cho & Sabine Rich; Mike Choi; Hayden Sherman & Mike Spicer; Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99

Release Date: June 3, 2026

 

The Outer Gotham Rural Hospital is where people come to die. Sure, the doctors and nurses try to imbue hope into hopeless situations. Sadly, there's not much they can do for the patients in "the Hospice Hotel."

 

Dr Barrows, Sasha, and Tammy may not be able to offer their charges more than painkillers and kindness. Yet someone walks the halls who can ease them onto the next level of their existence. Who is Boston Brand? And why do they call him The Deadman? Let’s slip on our scrubs, leap into The Deadman #1, and see!

 

Story

Sasha is new to nights at the Outer Gotham Rural Hospital. So as Dr Barrows and Tammy offer Sasha insights on how to approach her work, Boston listens. When Tammy inadvertently passes through Boston, his spirit awakens forgotten memories. While she recalls something that bound her with her grandmother in life, Boston feels the love that time and death have not vanquished. Then, sensing a patient’s end, Boston follows Tammy down the hall.

 

After perceiving events from the staff’s perspective, readers follow Boston Brand’s journey in The Deadman #1. While the story introduces memorable characters, Boston emerges as someone immensely intrigued by those around him. At times, he may wish he had chosen another role in the afterlife. Still, he enjoys a much fuller life than those who linger in Robertsville.

 

Yet in W Maxwell Prince's story, a threat emerges to threaten Boston's future. He may not be your typical hero. Nor may he seem especially brave. Still, Boston Brand vows to fight it. For while he loves people, he also loves their stories. And despite his wishes that he had been braver when his life ended, Boston enjoys serving others in The Deadman #1.

 

Art

As another soul departs the hospital, the moon forces apart the clouds to gaze down with its crater-eyes. Dr Barrows greets the nurses at their station, while the halls are devoid of family members lingering after visiting hours have ended. As Tammy approaches Boston, he doesn't step aside. Instead, he glows brighter when she passes through him, casting the nurse briefly into shade. When Boston levitates, his white coat and outstretched arms evoke an angel. And when he intervenes at a moment of transition, Boston conjures an image of fragile life from his palm. Then, departing the hospital, Boston leaves behind whisps of cosmic ether as he travels toward another favorite part of his day.

 

As Martín Morazzo packs pages with panels, Chris O’Halloran fills this nighttime world of The Deadman #1 with colorful souls that brighten the darkness. The hospital may resound with muted tones of gray, beige, and green. Yet in the rooms of the dying, green walls suggest the willpower that helps those lingering eke out their final moments. Dr Barrows wears blue scrubs under his white coat, while the nurses who bring comfort to the dying wear violet uniforms. At the frightening moment of death, yellow souls depart gray bodies. Boston wears orange clothing as he savors the thoughts and memories of the living. Yet, his clothing turns red when others' actions infuriate him.

 

As Boston welcomes readers into his world and guides them through his extraordinary evening, Good Old Neon fills gray boxes with black lowercase letters. The letters grow bold with intonation and enlarge when expressing anger. They shrink when relaying minutiae of his existence, or when Boston lowers his voice. Other souls sustained in their moment of death summon yellow dialogue balloons. Like Boston, they were too frightened to venture onto the next phase of their existence. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Love may help the world grow round, but it also makes the afterlife a kinder, gentler place. As Boston Brand adheres to the strictures of his calling, he finds leeway to exercise kindness. Even when others regard the dying as monsters, he seeks to dispense compassion. Yet as a danger arises that threatens his calling, Boston Brand vows to fight it with all his soul in The Deadman #1.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my preview of The Deadman #1. 

End Of Life #3 Review

 

End Of Life #3 Review

Writer: Kyle Starks

Artist: Steve Pugh

Colorist: Chris O’Halloran

Letterer & Designer: Becca Carey

Cover Artists: Gerald Parel, Guillem March & David Talaski

Editors: Matthew Levine & Chris Conroy

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99

Release Date: April 15, 2026

 

Pluto used to have a small-town, touristy vibe. Richard Smiley's newspaper strips drew fans to the cartoonist's hometown. When the visitors weren't flocking to the Wrong Dog amusement park, they were helping local shops and businesses thrive. Pluto may have gotten quieter since Richard Smiley's fall from grace. But while the amusement park has closed, the locals work together to help their town thrive.

 

Visitors may not pour into Emily Wilson's shop to purchase souvenir candles any time soon. Still, things are about to heat up in Pluto. What will Eddie Stallion do when Menagerie killers reach this out-of-the-way town? And how will his father react when Eddie's presence endangers the people he cares about? Let's grab a gun and a mask, leap into End Of Life #3, and see!

 

Story

George Stallion was never around when his son was growing up. After Eddie's mother abandoned them, George sent him off to boarding school. George's inability to get along with him and others made Eddie feel flawed and unwanted. When Eddie grew up, he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Menagerie. Then, Eddie thrust his success as a highly paid hitman in his father's face until George finally told him to go away and never return.

 

In End Of Life #3, Eddie is frustrated and confused. It was easy to blame his father for all his faults and take pride in the life he had built. But when Eddie makes a mistake and everyone turns against him, his father takes him in. As he realizes that perhaps he and his father have a second chance at connecting, Sophie tells Eddie that his father is dying. Eddie may have to look over his shoulder every day of his life for Menagerie hitmen. But there's no avoiding Stage Four Lung Cancer's death sentence.

 

Kyle Starks follows Eddie as he reels from the realization that no one from his big city life loves him, while everyone in Pluto loves George Stallion. Yet even if he doesn't want to be there, the town is beginning to love Eddie. Just as George has helped the town function despite its lack of funding and infrastructure, Eddie has protected Leona and her son, Trent, at the Wrong Dog gas station. He may never see his sneaker collection again. But when Eddie recognizes the wealth of meaningful connections George Stallion has built, he emulates his father once again in End Of Life #3.

 

Art

From his Wrong Dog throne, Richard Smiley bows as he bemoans how the world beat him down. Surrounded by examples of his art and a statue of himself kneeling beside his creation, Richard’s lips part as he smiles. The exposed portions of his upper teeth evoke fangs. Eddie may have had some setbacks. Yet he struts as he walks through the dark toward his father's house. Later, when he encounters Sophie, she doesn't turn to face him despite his boisterous attitude. A vignette reveals how she wants to look at him but doesn't, while Eddie also averts his gaze. Although Sophie tries to meet his eyes two pages later, Eddie resists hers.

 

As Chris O’Halloran adorns Steve Pugh's energetic and charismatic art with a lively palette, green creeps into scenes in this out-of-the-way town. Eddie's red suit and flame-like yellow hair seem the hallmark of End Of Life #3. Yellow and red energize the Wrong Dog gas station. Emily wears a red skirt and binds her hair with a yellow-and-red scarf as she drives a green classic car. While Eddie brings new life and interest to Pluto, George represents its failing heart in his pink/lavender shirt.

 

Becca Carey fills white dialogue balloons with black, uppercase letters. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Distress deforms balloons, while a starburst adorns the arrow of off-camera dialogue balloons. Sound effects enhance a sitcom homage and a brutal fight, while blue words on a pink/lavender background sign Eddie Stallion's death sentence. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

When life doesn't seem to treat you fairly, it's easy to play the victim. Richard Smiley transformed his insecurities and victimhood into a commercial empire. Eddie Stallion channeled the way his father treated him to live the high life in the city. But when the money and success fade away, the beloved cartoonist becomes a predator, and the unlikable, flashy killer becomes a protector in the hitman satire End Of Life #3.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of End Of Life #3.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of End Of Life #2.

 

For how the series began, see my review of End Of Life #1. 

End Of Life #1 Review

 

Writer: Kyle Starks

Artist: Steve Pugh

Colorist: Chris O’Halloran

Letterer & Designer: Becca Carey

Cover Artists: Gerald Parel; Seba Fiumara; Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola; Dave Johnson

Connecting Variant Cover Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno

Editors: Matthew Levine & Chris Conroy

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99

Release Date: February 18, 2026

 

Sure, he was a last-minute replacement. Still, when his buddy Devin needed him, Eddie Stallion answered the call. Unfortunately, Devin didn't do his homework. After they killed the security guards during their home invasion, Eddie saw a familiar symbol. He realized how he had messed up. And the organization Eddie works for has zero tolerance for the wrong kind of screwups. Can Eddie skip town before his colleagues hunt him down? And is anywhere on Earth safe from the Menagerie? Let’s grab a gun and a mask, leap into End Of Life #1, and see!

 

Story

Eddie hoped he could cover up his involvement in the unauthorized raid on the home of a Menagerie boss. But when he sees hitmen outside his apartment complex, Karla confirms what Eddie suspected. Like Han Solo, the Menagerie has put a price on his head so large that every bounty hunter in the world is looking for him.

 

In End Of Life #1, Eddie realizes his life is over. If his handler can’t smooth over his mistake, the Menagerie will kill him, or he will be a fugitive for the rest of his life. When Eddie considers his least likely actions, he returns to the place he thought he had left forever.

 

Kyle Starks’ story is about what makes us feel secure. When he was growing up, Eddie and his father didn't get along. Feeling like damaged goods, Eddie compensated by adopting a star mentality and acting like the eternal man-child. But when he realizes that his life carries an expiration date, Eddie returns to his roots, even if only to say goodbye.

 

As we follow Eddie through his journey home, we discover that, despite his flippant attitude, he doesn't intend to offend others. Perhaps it is due to losing his home and his easygoing lifestyle. Still, he tries to meet others halfway and protects others from aggression. But regardless of whether the Menagerie mercenaries catch up with him, Eddie discovers a killer he cannot kill first in End Of Life #1.

 

Art

As he leans against a nearby building, Eddie spots people wielding guns and wearing masks with horns guarding the grand entryway of his apartment. While Karla's dress and hairstyle evoke 60s fashions, the tablet on her desk and wall monitors seem modern touches. As his associates wear combat outfits and balaclavas, Eddie rocks the kill zone with his suit, pop star hairstyle, neck tattoo, and dangling cigarette.

 

Either Eddie has tired of paying cleaners to remove bloodstains, or he chose his red suit to make a statement. Eddie looks at home in the pink and red vault as he wanders amid the display cases filled with prized possessions. The pink and purple wall design evokes club interiors in Miami Vice. While lavishing bright colors on End Of Life #1, Chris O’Halloran adorns memories with faded colors and portrays a defining event in Eddie's past with black, white, and gray. Traumatizing realizations fill backgrounds with yellow, orange, and red, as characters realize that they may pay for an unintended mistake with their lives.

 

Becca Carey fills white dialogue balloons with black, uppercase letters. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and rarely shrink. Larger, lowercase white letters in black fields locate us in time and space, while uppercase letters in yellow fields identify all Eddie can call his own. While sound effects enhance fighting and gunfire, they also showcase Eddie thinking, something he seems likely to do more of as he becomes the target in The Most Dangerous Game. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Despite how his father treated him, Eddie Stallion has followed in George Stallion’s footsteps. Like his father, Eddie gets a wake-up call and an opportunity to start over. But that seems unlikely, as an act of kindness and protection increases the forces arrayed against Eddie in End Of Life #1.

 

Rating 9.7/10

 

To look inside, see my preview of End Of Life #1. 

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5 Review

 

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 5^th Dimension. Mxyzptlk used the three new forms of Kryptonite to draw Superman’s interest. Along with Purple, Cobalt, and Speckled Kryptonite, the 5^th 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 5^th 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 

 

 

 

 

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4 Review

 

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 5^th 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 5^th 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.