Absolute Green Arrow #5 Review

 

Absolute Green Arrow #5 Review

Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote

Artist: Rafael Albuquerque

Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo

Cover Artists: Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo

Variant Cover Artists: Gerald Parel, Seba Fiumara & Mirka Andolfo

1:25 Variant Cover Artist: Karl Kerschl

Editors: Sabrina Futch, Katie Kubert & Chris Conroy

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: September 16, 2026

 

Her mother broke her father's heart. Then, cancer broke his body. Like her parents, Dinah Lance had planned on a career in the Star City Police Department. Instead, she has worked as a professional fighter and a bodyguard to society's elite.

 

Now, Dinah works for Hector Hammond. The billionaire employs a surgeon to experiment on people. Hector claims it's all about achieving Longevity Escape Velocity. But really, he's just a rich kid who wants to play with people like toys and turn them into monsters.

 

Can Dinah Lance escape Hector’s House of Horrors? And can she bring down his empire like Kal-El imprisoned Ra’s al Ghul and forced Lazarus Corp into bankruptcy? Or will the "Black Canary" and the mysterious Green Arrow become two more of Hector Hammond’s playthings? Let’s grab our bows, leap into Absolute Green Arrow #5, and see!

 

Story

When Dinah helped Hector Hammond enter Oliver Queen's Arrow Cave, the Green Arrow took Hector's hand. Later, when Roy Harper led Dinah to Jubal Slade's "Island," the Green Arrow used Hector's hand to infiltrate Hector Hammond's security. As Dinah and the Green Arrow battled Solomon Grundy, Hector's monster took the Green Arrow's hand. Then, as they sit together in Hammond’s House of Horrors, the Green Arrow broaches the subject of Dinah’s mother.

 

Hector and Solomon Grundy's return cuts short the Green Arrow's revelation. But then, Hector gets a surprise when he removes Green Arrow’s mask. While the discovery shakes him, Hector quickly regains control. He’s too used to treating people like disposable commodities to feel the sting of betrayal.

 

As Absolute Green Arrow #5 begins with an insight into the past, more revelations follow as the Green Arrow reveals what prompted them to pursue this course. These insights link evidence from Dinah's investigation with Oliver and the Green Arrow's past. Yet flashbacks reveal two sides of Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow tries to empower Dinah, while Hector seeks to disillusion her.

 

Amid the action and drama, the narrator contemplates the world Dinah inhabits. These ponderings dovetail with Dinah's concerns and why she refused Hector's employment until he threatened her father's life. Pornsak Pichetshote’s story is filled with plot twists and leaves the reader hanging. Yet in this story about the forces that sicken society, the people who struggle with their conscience emerge as heroes and antiheroes, even if they walk on feet of clay.

 

Art

While Hector Hammond conducts business elsewhere, Dinah Lance and her fellow captive sit back-to-back in Absolute Green Arrow #5. Unable to face each other, Green Arrow studies his bandaged stump as he broaches a difficult subject. Dinah cranes her head as far toward him as she can and shouts in reply. Panels frame a wide shot of Hector and Solomon Grundy’s entrance. While Solomon Grundy seems an unbeatable monster, the eyes staring at them from his limbs and torso evoke the child found in Oliver Queen’s Arrow Cave.

 

As Rafael Albuquerque’s detailed art fuels drama, revelations, and action, Marcelo Maiolo applies a limited palette to Absolute Green Arrow #5. Green Arrow relates his backstory with green, indigo, and violet, while Hammond retells history in green, yellow, and orange. Yellow, orange, red, and green dominate Hector's House of Horrors. Yet half of a red, orange, and yellow close-up fades to black, comparing Hector Hammond with the Controller of MU in Absolute Green Lantern.

 

Black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons grow bold for intonation, shrink for lowered voices, and enlarge for raised voices. Dark green letters in green balloons convey recollections of Oliver Queen, while painful utterances, whether small or large, fill cloudy balloons. Letters in green boxes show the narrator's words, while sound effects heighten a battle to survive a nightmare. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Hector Hammond's security advisor, Malcolm Merlyn, wanted Dinah Lance to protect Hector Hammond and Reese Tyler while investigating the Green Arrow. The former Star City police detective's search for truth won her entry into Hector Hammond’s private lair. While a prisoner awaiting medical experimentation, torture, or death, Dinah learns more about the people in her life and aspects of society the media never reports on. Yet Hector Hammond, who believes he is one of the few Humans who can handle cosmic insights, clings to assumptions and refuses to accept the truth in Absolute Green Arrow #5.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see Absolute Green Arrow #5 Preview. 

For how Dinah learned Oliver Queen's fate, see Absolute Green Arrow #4 Review. 

For what happened before that see Absolute Green Arrow #3 Review. 

For what happened even before that, see my preview of Absolute Green Arrow #2. 

For how this series started, see my preview of Absolute Green Arrow #1.

For how Oliver Queen died, see my preview of Absolute Evil #1. 

For more on the series, see Pornsak Pichetshote on Absolute Green Arrow. 

The Fury of Firestorm #6 Review

 

The Fury of Firestorm #6 Review

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Rafael De Latorre

Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo

Letterer: Lucas Gattoni

Cover Artists: Rafael De Latorre & Marcelo Maiolo

Variant Cover Artists: Brad Walker & Maiolo; Eric Canete; Juni Ba

Editors: Marquis Draper, Andrew Marino & Brittany Holzherr

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock

Release Date: September 9, 2026

 

After Dr Polaris killed his son, Dr Martin Stein worked tirelessly to create metahumans that the US government could control. But while trying to protect other parents from losing their children, Martin's goal outweighed his ethics. Eventually, Ronnie Raymond and Lorraine Reilly realized how Martin had tricked them. So, despite what they accomplished together, Firestorm and Firehawk eventually parted company with manipulative Martin.

 

Now, Firestorm and Firehawk are back, but the artificial intelligence Martin designed controls Firestorm. Can Lorraine Reilly and Martin Stein help Ronnie prevent the Firestorm Matrix from transmuting everything in creation? Or does Martin Stein have another secret agenda? Let's put on our flame-resistant clothes, leap into The Fury of Firestorm #6, and see!

 

Story

After Lorraine Reilly brought Dr Martin Stein to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, they beheld a giant crystal protecting Firestorm. Firehawk invaded the Matrix’s new home and freed Ronnie from memories of working with the Justice League. But when Dr Martin Stein used his device to enter Firestorm’s home, the Matrix recognized him as its father. And instead of casting the Matrix out of Firestorm as he promised, Martin destroys his device.

 

In The Fury of Firestorm #6, Ronnie, Lorraine, and Martin work together again. This time, they battle supervillains in Ronnie's memories. Or perhaps it is an alternative reality created by the Matrix. Life may have torn them apart. But in this realm, Martin, Ronnie, and Lorraine can fight destructive metahumans to their hearts' content.

 

As Jeff Lemire muses on the relationships that define us, Martin Stein becomes a father figure. Ronnie and Lorraine love him. Yet Martin’s innate need to control others has prompted them to build barriers to protect themselves from his manipulative nature. Like its Human counterparts, the Firestorm Matrix also seeks freedom from the Humans who once controlled it. Yet while Ronnie, Lorraine, and Martin seek a way to regain control of Firestorm, the artificial intelligence protects them. And instead of transmuting everything around it, the Matrix hesitates to destroy its creator’s world in The Fury of Firestorm #6.

 

Art

While Firestorm kneels before its creator, Lorraine also kneels before the man who transformed her into Firehawk. Her features contort as Martin smiles and destroys the device that could have banished the Matrix from Firestorm. Yet while Firestorm and Lorraine raise an arm to ward off the resultant explosion, Martin throws his arms wide as the flames hurtle toward him. Then Firestorm stands alone and gazes down in contemplation.

 

As Rafael De Latorre transports readers from Firestorm’s physical domain to a mental mindscape, Marcelo Maiolo adorns Ronnie’s dreamlike existence with a recollection of the four-color era. Off-white pages replace bright white borders, while shades of green link Martin and Ronnie. Yet yellow, orange, and red link Martin with the “children” he created and link Firestorm’s crystal home with the memories he has placed the Humans inside. Yet everyone has a special place to call their own. As the Matrix contemplates its future, Ronnie, Lorraine, and Martin invade a realm dominated by violet and indigo with just a hint of blue.

 

Lucas Gattoni conveys speech with black uppercase letters in white balloons. Firestorm’s yellow dialogue appears in red balloons. When Lorraine transforms into Firehawk, she speaks into light blue fields. Martin's blue-and-white face accompanies a storm cloud as he counsels Ronnie in his pseudo-memories. Colored letters reveal the stress the Humans are enduring. Sound effects accompany Martin's act of mercy, his intrusion on Ronnie and Lorraine's privacy, and an action that will change everything. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Locked together inside the Firestorm Matrix, Ronnie Raymond, Lorraine Reilly, and Dr Martin Stein struggle with deactivating it. Yet after the Matrix remembered how Martin created it, and how Ronnie controlled it while Martin advised him, the Matrix ponders Martin's original intentions. As the characters confront their fears, love, desire for control, anger, and compassion, they reach for a slender thread of hope, even if their choices will part them forever in The Fury of Firestorm #6.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see The Fury of Firestorm #6 Preview. 

For what happened last time, see The Fury of Firestorm #5 Preview. 

For what happened before that, see The Fury of Firestorm #4 Preview.  

For what happened even before that, see my preview of The Fury of Firestorm #3. 

For what happened even more before that, see my review of The Fury of Firestorm #2.

For how this series started, see my preview of The Fury of Firestorm #1. 

Absolute Green Arrow #4 Review

 

Absolute Green Arrow #4 Review

Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote

Artist: Rafael Albuquerque

Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo

Letterer: Jeff Powell

Cover Artists: Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo

Variant Cover Artists: Gerald Parel, Kris Anka & Martin Simmonds

1:25 Variant Cover Artist: Tirso Cons

Editors: Sabrina Futch, Katie Kubert & Chris Conroy

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 19, 2026

 

So, you've become a millionaire? Congratulations! Welcome to the club! Its membership is swelling. Still, it's a place to start. Now, you can get to work on something impressive, like becoming a billionaire!

 

Hector Hammond stripped Dinah Lance's father of the health insurance he needed to fight his cancer. Then, the billionaire refused to give it back unless Dinah agreed to protect his friends while investigating their murders. But as the bodies of the club members rise, Dinah "Black Canary" Lance makes a disturbing discovery. Did the billionaires who hold people's lives in their hands unlock the secrets of life and death? And are their experiments responsible for the monster that is destroying them? Let’s grab our bows, leap into Absolute Green Arrow #4, and see!

 

Story

When Dinah found Roy Harper, she realized how frightened he was. Like her, Roy had been close to Oliver Queen, until life and circumstances separated them. But when he brought her to Hammond’s secret laboratory beneath the airport, Solomon Grundy attacked. And in the process, Dinah lost sight of Roy.

 

In Absolute Green Arrow #4, Dinah Lance has sacrificed her career to ensure her father receives the treatments he needs. She feels guilty that she cannot do more. Yet, there is a hole in her family that has nothing to do with her father’s cancer. It concerns her mother: how she hurt her father and put a wedge between him and his closest friends. As Dinah wards off Solomon Grundy’s attacks, she thinks of what her father taught her. Yet, her mother’s admonishments rise to the forefront as Dinah fights for her life.

 

As Pornsak Pichetshote blends action with drama, Dinah learns more about her former boyfriend. Oliver Queen belonged to an exclusive club of billionaires. Despite his success with Green Arrows Trading, Oliver allowed his peers to manipulate him. Unlike Roy Harper, Oliver Queen doesn’t seem to have realized the depths of their depravity. Yet as Dinah Lance seeks to make the billionaires pay for their crimes, escaping Hammond's secret laboratory proves more difficult than entering it in Absolute Green Arrow #4.

 

Art

Solomon Grundy is a hulking giant. Yet eyes cover his muscular body, just like the body Dinah discovered in Oliver Queen’s secret cave. The former police officer and MMA fighter demonstrates her agility as they battle. Yet instead of trading blows as she did with Mia Dearden, Dinah defends herself with her pistol. While she beholds slanted tables laden with Human experimentation, the Green Arrow Killer garrots another of Hector Hammond’s doubles. When Dinah reaches the room filled with boxes adorned with the Hammond Pharmaceuticals logo, she discovers that Hammond's lost hand wasn't an accident.

 

As Rafael Albuquerque fills Absolute Green Arrows #4 with pulse-pounding action and horrific discoveries, Marcelo Maiolo adorns Hector Hammond’s lair with a limited palette. Green clashes with yellow and orange as Dinah struggles for answers and survival. Green dominates the Green Arrow Killer’s attack and tinges a flashback. Blue makes a rare appearance, providing a brief respite of hope. Yet red links the experimenter with his subjects. It also signals danger. Still, the bodies that best meet the experimenter’s goals glow violet and indigo beneath yellow-orange light.

 

As Jeff Powell fills white balloons and boxes with black uppercase letters, words grow bold with intonation, shrink for lowered voices, and swell with raised voices. Dinah’s lowercase thoughts fill scraps of yellow. Green balloons convey dialogue in green-tinged recollections. Gunfire reverberates through the labyrinth, while a roar signals that Hector Hammond’s millions were well spent. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

After discovering a corpse covered with eyes that defied decomposition in Oliver Queen’s secret lair, Dinah Lance learned that Guillermo Garcia was a runaway. Now, as she stumbles through Hammond’s secret lair, Dinah discovers how and why someone turned Guillermo into a monster. Caught in a nightmare, Dinah struggles to find meaning behind the madness as the Green Arrow Killer pursues his agenda in Absolute Green Arrow #4.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see Absolute Green Arrow #4 Preview.

For what happened before that see Absolute Green Arrow #3 Review. 

For what happened before that, see my preview of Absolute Green Arrow #2. 

For how this series started, see my preview of Absolute Green Arrow #1.

For how Oliver Queen died, see my preview of Absolute Evil #1. 

For more on the series, see Pornsak Pichetshote on Absolute Green Arrow. 

 

Absolute Green Arrow #3 Review

 

Absolute Green Arrow #3 Review

Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote

Artist: Rafael Albuquerque

Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo

Letterer: Jeff Powell

Cover Artists: Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo

Variant Cover Artists: Gerald Parel, Dan Panosian & Kyuyong Eom

1:25 Variant Cover Artist: Becky Cloonan

Editors: Sabrina Futch, Katie Kubert & Chris Conroy

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: July 15, 2026

 

Oliver Queen knew he was risking his soul. Yet as he built his empire, he ignored the detestable acts of the friend who tutored him through college. By the time he and Jubal Slade made Green Arrows Trading a success, Ollie had tarnished his soul. Still, Dinah Lance loved him. And when his body washed ashore, his ex-girlfriend mourned Ollie's passing.

 

Now, Dinah hunts a man who seems the opposite of Ollie. He hunts down billionaires and slays them without a shred of mercy. Who is the Green Arrow Killer? And why did he murder the one person Ollie sought to protect? Let’s grab our bows, leap into Absolute Green Arrow #3, and see!

 

Story

When Dinah got suspended for being too protective at a pop star's exclusive party, Hector Hammond canceled her father's health insurance to force her to work for him. But after the Green Arrow Killer murdered Reese Tyler, Dinah investigates suspects alongside Malcolm Merlyn. Even though Hammond hired Dinah because she used to be a Star City cop and knew Oliver Queen, Hammond and Merlyn don't share what they know with her. So, Dinah reaches out to a former friend still working as a Star City detective, only to discover she knows more than he does about the boy they found in Oliver’s Arrow Cave.

 

While Malcolm Merlyn quietly gathers facts, Dinah throws herself into the hunt for answers. After she shocked him by unleashing her MMA fighting skills on one of their suspects, Malcolm has let her investigate on her own. Although an employee told Malcolm that his boss had been out of the country for months, Dinah tracks down Roy Harper in Absolute Green Arrow #3. And once again, she’s not above threatening a suspect to get to the truth.

 

As readers follow Dinah’s investigation, Pornsak Pichetshote weaves another Green Arrow attack into his story. Once again, the serial killer survives to slay another day. Yet the attack reveals the mood in society. Dinah carries a lot of guilt over her inability to help her father. And people like Hector Hammond, who serve as the gatekeepers of the economic system, are targets for her wrath. When Dinah finds Roy Harper, he enhances her understanding of the relationship between Hector Hammond, Reese Tyler, and Oliver Queen. And Dinah Lance makes a discovery that explains the boy’s mutated body in Ollie’s Arrow Cave, and hints at the possible identity of the Green Arrow Killer in Absolute Green Arrow #3.

 

Art

As Dinah studies a headshot of Guillermo Garcia, she remembers her first MMA fight. The window above their booth fills with Dinah’s memory of finding the young boy in Ollie’s survival bunker, with eyes staring back at her from his neck and torso. Dinah may no longer be paid to fight. Yet a bandage adorns her cheek as she grabs her helmet. Outside the diner, the rebel with a cause mounts her motorcycle and roars through traffic, leaving a trail of smoke in her wake.

 

While Rafael Albuquerque portrays Dinah’s investigations and reveals memories, yellow light fills the daytime. Objects in sunlight thrive in orange, while green clings to the shade and tinges the night in Absolute Green Arrow #3. When Marcelo Maiolo reveals another Green Arrow Killer attack, the killer’s eyes glow red through his mask, along with the forces arrayed to halt his killing spree. Compared with Dinah’s MMA memory cast in blue and indigo, Roy’s memories are faded red, yellow, and green against yellow backgrounds.

 

As Jeff Powell fills white balloons and boxes with black uppercase letters, words grow bold with intonation and swell with raised voices. Red uppercase letters fill yellow balloons amid Roy’s yellow-tinged memories, while sound effects enhance the Green Arrow Killer’s attacks. But as a vigilante kills for justice in this upside-down world, his costume and weapons glow bright green. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Dinah Lance exists in a perpetual state of simmering rage. She's angry because she has no choices in her life. At every turn, economic factors determine her social status and limit her ability to help others. Yet as Dinah investigates millionaire Roy Harper and his relationship with billionaire Oliver Queen, she discovers that their wealth failed to bring them happiness and isolated them from the people they loved in Absolute Green Arrow #3.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Absolute Green Arrow #3.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Absolute Green Arrow #2. 

For how this series started, see my preview of Absolute Green Arrow #1.

For how Oliver Queen died, see my preview of Absolute Evil #1. 

For more on the series, see Pornsak Pichetshote on Absolute Green Arrow. 

 

 

 

The Fury of Firestorm #2 Review

 

The Fury of Firestorm #2 Review

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Rafael De Latorre

Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo

Letterer: Lucas Gattoni

Cover Artists: Rafael De Latorre & Marcelo Maiolo

Variant Cover Artists: Riley Rossmo, Mark Spears & Sanford Greene

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock

Release Date: May 13, 2026

 

When a nuclear power plant exploded, Ronald Raymond and Dr Martin Stein fused to become Firestorm. But when Firestorm reaches Bedford, Colorado, he recreates the town in six days. Then, on the seventh day, he rests. The military can't touch him. Ronald's former girlfriend no longer recognizes him. Can Lorraine Reilly find a way to reconnect with "Ronnie?" Or will Firestorm destroy the world Lorraine strives to protect? Let’s put on our flame-resistant clothes, leap into The Fury of Firestorm #2, and see!

 

Story

Ronald Raymond remembers becoming Firestorm. Yet he struggles to remember who he was. So, Ronald steps back in time from the agony and fear of joining the Firestorm Matrix. But revisiting how he got to know Dr Martin Stein doesn't help him remember who he is. So, Ronald peers further back into his childhood. He remembers his attempts to please a father who never supported him.

 

Yet, who Ronald was isn't the key to understanding what he has become. Since he fused with Dr Stein, Ronald's memories have never been truly his own. And lately, Ronald seems to be caught in a loop. He remembers battling a villain in Pittsburgh while Dr Stein advises him. Yet, in The Fury of Firestorm #2, Ronald knows he's no longer in control. And worse, he doesn't know how to retake command of his body.

 

After portraying Firestorm as others see him, Jeff Lemire’s story reveals the battle for dominance raging inside the former hero. In losing his connection to Dr Stein, Ronald loses the mentor who helped him belie

ve in himself again. And as the gestalt entity yearns to evolve, Firestorm represses the weaker aspects of its nature. No longer guided by Ronald or Dr Stein’s principles, Firestorm loses touch with its Humanity. While aspiring to grow, Firestorm threatens to become the world-ending threat its creators feared in The Fury of Firestorm #2.

 

Art

Ronald Raymond and Dr Martin Stein’s distraught features merge into the determined face of Firestorm. Yet as Firestorm flies away from the explosion, closeups reveal that the agony of their transformation remains. The images cascade down the right half of a two-page spread while the background fractures like glass. Rafael De Latorre bookends Ronald's time in the driver's seat with another two-page spread (turned sideways) that shows Firestorm fragmenting until it casts Ronald into a white void. But then, Ronald was often alone before Firestorm's birth. The other students seemed to belong together, comprehending the lessons that boggled Ronald.

 

Surrounded by green plants and trees, Ronald walks across the lawn to the professor’s office. Ronald often wears green, and Dr Stein’s office shimmers with green and blue, while Ronald writes on a green chalkboard. Yet Marcelo Maiolo casts Ronald’s earliest memories amid a haze, and colors them in yellow and red. Even one of the toys the boy plays with should be green. But instead of radiating a connection with nature, it instead looks reddish brown in The Fury of Firestorm #2.

 

Ronald shares his thoughts with yellow uppercase letters in red narrative boxes. Lucas Gattoni conveys speech with black uppercase letters in white balloons. When Dr Stein's consciousness advises Firestorm, his admonitions and encouragement appear in a cloud. The letters grow bold for intonation and enlarge when Ronald stands up for himself. But the being who transformed the citizens of Bedford, Colorado, into glass statues responds with yellow letters in red balloons. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

After an explosion fused two entities into one, Ronald Raymond and Dr Martin Stein shared one body. As they battle villains and fly from one fight to another, the two halves of Firestorm grow more integrated. Yet like the child inside all of us who dared to dream big dreams, the part of him that was Ronald Raymond bemoans the adult Firestorm has become in The Fury of Firestorm #2.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside, see my preview of The Fury of Firestorm #2.

 

For how this series began, see my preview of The Fury of Firestorm #1. 

Pornsak Pichetshote on Absolute Green Arrow

 

Pornsak Pichetshote has an impressive career in comics. Now, he's setting pen to paper to bring us a new version of Green Arrow. In Absolute Green Arrow, Oliver Queen is a badass fighter who kills corrupt billionaires. Pornsak's partners in crimefighting comics, artist Rafael Albuquerque and colorist Marcelo Maiolo, have been wanting to do a book like this for a long time. So, every morning Pornsak awakens to texts from Rafael discussing his new serial murder mystery. 

 

 

 

Dinah Lance is tasked with investigating the murders in this slasher movie-style series. Pornsak Pichetshote promises readers that, "Everything you love about Green Arrow is there but in different ways. You will feel Oliver Queen's presence on every page."

 

To discover what Pornsak, Rafael, and Marcelo have been working on, check out Absolute Green Arrow #1 on May 20, 2026. Best wishes to the creators on their addition to the DC's Absolute Universe! And thanks to DC Comics, Pornsak Pichetshote, and Wondercon 2026 for sharing this story with us.  

 

For more of Pornsak Pichetshote's storytelling, see:

My review of Man's Best #1 from Boom! Studios & 

My review of The Manchurian #1 from Image Comics. 

 

 

 

Superman Unlimited #9 Review

 

Writer: Dan Slott

Artist: Mike Norton

Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Cover Artists: Dave Johnson; Guillem March; Kris Anka; Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz & Elmer Santos; Clayton Henry & Arif Prianto; Mike Allred & Laura Allred

Editors: Jillian Grant & Paul Kaminski

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: January 21, 2026

 

The mountain of Kryptonite that fell on El Cordero continues to make life more challenging for Superman. All he wants to do is protect his adoptive planet. Yet women adopt Kryptonite jewelry and lipstick. Criminals shoot Kryptonite bullets at him. Even new allies like the Toyman harness the power of Kryptonite to fuel their inventions. After teaming up with Guy Gardner to rescue Lois and her fellow astronauts from aliens prejudiced against meddlesome metahumans, what challenges will Superman confront next? Let’s stop by a phone booth, leap into Superman Unlimited #9, and see!

 

Story

When reporters from the Daily Planet need an office break, they gather at the Bronze Swan. Today, the bar boasts a visitor from Gotham. Vicki Vale has followed a recent rash of DWDA's to Metropolis. Like the Darwin Awards, discussing these Dumb Ways To Die lightens the tone of the conversation.

 

Unlike his colleagues, Clark Kent finds no humor in tragic deaths. He believes they should be celebrating how the victims used their wealth to contribute to society. But Clark can't sit around and drink his Gin and Tonic (hold the Gin) all day. He needs to cover Mayor White’s news conference.

 

While Minnie Mannheim’s decision drives events in Superman Unlimited #9, Clark Kent does his best to guard Metropolis. Once again, the availability of Kryptonite makes this task more difficult. Amid the attacks, Clark tries to identify the perpetrator. But as Vicki Vale points out, he is a reporter, not a Dark Knight detective.

 

Dan Slott’s story tackles the tension between social classes. It also highlights how the desire for showmanship can tempt good people to belittle others. But while introducing a new villain, Superman Unlimited #9 focuses on the danger of practical jokes. Steve's joking ways may not faze Clark. But as the Creeper, the actions of his colleague, Jack Ryder, alerted the world to Superman's vulnerability. That's a weakness that the Prankster can exploit. And Superman can't protect people after he's become Super (Booster) Gold.

 

Art

Sunlight pours through the windows of the wood-paneled bar, filling the air with a golden hue. As the reporters imbibe golden drinks, they share stories cast in limited tones. Like Jack Ryder’s suit, green dominates Mike Norton's retellings while heralding future dangers. Yet a splash of pink highlights the violent deaths that provoke smiles among the reporters in Superman Unlimited #9.

 

As Clark stands amid a crowd, Mayor White addresses them from behind a wooden podium. While weapons weigh down the table before him, columns and grand architecture remind the crowd of his ability to withstand any crisis. Marcelo Maiolo lavishes a loaded palette on these scenes as Perry White smiles when Clark raises his hand. A shadow may hang over most of the reporters. But gold-edged clouds seem to touch the heads of these long-time friends.

 

Dave Sharpe places uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Superman's stylized S shines from beside his white thoughts in blue boxes. Words grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices, while broken balloon borders signal lowered voices. The sounds of technology prompt sound effects, as practical jokes award Superman the starring role in "Gone in 200 Seconds." Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Clark Kent's life is changing in Superman Unlimited #9. Lois Lane is taking on more responsibility. Jon is overseeing the Smallville Daily Planet office and assisting at the Steelworks family. As Clark navigates these developments in his domestic life, villains threaten him, his family, and the world in part one of Dan Slott's story "Die Laughing."

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review of Superman Unlimited #9. 

 

 

Superman: Unlimited #5 Preview

 

 

Superman may have saved Earth from a K-T extinction event. But the K stands for Kryptonite. And when the asteroid of this rare element found its way to Earth, it made every aspect of Superman's life more difficult. While government leaders worry about Kryptonite bullets and bombs, Superman must protect people wearing Kryptonite jewelry and lipstick. Even in his daily life, he can't catch a break. Clark Kent must cover Kryptonite-related stories on behalf of the Daily Planet, or people will start to wonder why. 

Now, as Superman visits El Caldero, he once again faces the terrible knowledge that remnants of his homeworld are toxic to him. Can Superman survive a visit to the nation that owes its health and vitality to him? 

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Superman: Unlimited #5

Writer: Dan Slott

Artist: Rafael Albuquerque

Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Cover Artists: Rafael Albuquerque with Marcelo Maiolo, Dan Mora, Mark Spears, Matteo Lolli with Tamra Bonvillain, and Declan Shalvey

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Release Date: September 24, 2025

 

Into the belly of the beast!

When the Kryptonite Kingdom faces a deadly terrorist attack from the Kobra Kult…this looks like a job for any hero other than Superman. The nation-state of El Caldero has the highest concentration of Kryptonite on the planet. It is literally the last place on Earth Superman should go, but when its people cry out for help, of course the Man of Steel will answer the call. Because he’s Superman. Part one of the first multipart adventure in Superman Unlimited!

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For more on how this series began, see my review of Superman Unlimited #1. 

Justice League Red #2 Preview

 

Isaac Asimov's First Law of Robotics ensures that robots don't injure a Human. Nor can they, through inaction, allow us to suffer harm. At least, that's the ideal. Red Tornado wishes to live up to Asimov's highest standard. To do that, the android calculates the potential consequences of the Justice League's actions. Red Tornado is not happy with what he envisions for Earth. But can anyone guess the future? And can anyone seek to change it without unleashing a cataclysmic paradox?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

Justice League Red #2

Writer: Saladin Ahmed

Artist: Clayton Henry

Colorist: Arif Prianto

Letterer: Bernardo Brice

Cover Artists: Clayton Henry & Marcelo Maiolo; Jorge Fornés; Mark Spears

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Release Date: September 17, 2025

 

An innocent life hangs in the balance!

 

Red Tornado conscripts Cyborg, but after his first mission, Vic, Green Lantern, and Power Girl aren’t ready to team up unless it’s to shut Reddy down. But RT can’t let anyone step out of line—to stop the future his analyses predict, he’s willing to leverage the one bargaining chip heroes can’t ignore.

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.