Review: ‘Superman Unlimited’ #1 Sets Up Something Interesting With A Twist

It’s movie season, which means that there’s superhero movies on their way. One of the biggest is Superman, so naturally DC Comics is bringing fans a new #1. Superman Unlimited has debuted to give fans a glimpse at a dangerous new world for the Man of Steel.

Dan Slott, Rafael Albuquerque, Marcelo Maiolo, and Dave Sharpe debut Superman’s new era. 

It’s just another day for Superman. Stopping robberies, saving cats from trees, the usual. But then the Justice League needs his help stopping a massive asteroid from hitting the planet. Unfortunately, when he reaches it, he makes a horrifying discovery. The asteroid is 90% Kryptonite, and there’s no way he can stop it from hitting Earth…

I like a lot of what we see here. Superman feels as down to Earth and noble as he does at his best. Even the quiet moments capture his character extremely well. The Superman titles have been some of the best at DC at using the overall universe to enrich its stories, and Slott leans into that in his DC return too- the League is just as much part of the supporting cast as Lois, Jimmy et al. The new Kryptonite-infused Earth is also a fascinating setup too.

Now there’s a lot of recap and exposition here. I can excuse that with the easy explanation that this is meant to be the issue that gets new and lapsed fans in the door when the movie debuts. But the cardinal sin in the issue is in the final page. After spending its extra pages setting up strong character work, an interesting supporting cast and a scary new status quo, the final page reveals that the Kryptonite-heavy new world doesn’t matter- Superman is somehow newly immune.

For Clark’s allies, this is a great new idea to play with. Conner, Jon and Kara all have danger around any corner. But for Clark himself, that interesting status quo is immediately discarded. It could have even stayed in place but been teased out over the first arc- Clark thinking he was in as much danger as his family, but discovering his newfound immunity slowly as he encounters Kryptonite. Its great potential immediately squandered, but hey maybe there’s a twist to it.

I love Albuquerque’s work and mostly it’s very good here. He draws a great sheepish Clark Kent and powerful Superman. The layouts are extremely engaging and he does some fantastic work with point of view. It’s gorgeous work throughout, and I hope he’s on the series for a while, especially with Maiolo’s stunning colors. There is some weird figure work with Superman himself though, especially as he seems weakened.

Superman Unlimited #1 is available now from DC Comics.