Superman #28 is the book that leads us into DC’s summer event this year. Its job is to make sense of the pieces put out for us back in DC’s All-In Special released in late 2024, and while it doesn’t necessarily succeed at that here, it does bring us closer to understanding what’s going on. Writer Joshua Williamson, artist Dan Mora, colorist Alejandro Sánchez, and letterer Ariana Maher set up an interesting story with what they’ve been given, and they form a path for us to see what DC has in store in the months ahead.
The issue starts with members of Darkseid’s Legion discussing Superman, as we see panels and images of him doing what he’s famous for. They decide that he has to be the first one taken out in order for their mysterious plan to be carried out properly. After this, the issue pivots to Clark and Ma Kent talking in their Smallville home. Their conversation essentially recaps the events of Absolute Power, the All-In Special, and the Summer of Superman Special. After this, Clark flies off. He’s met with a version of Saturn Girl from Darkseid’s Legion, and she’s nothing like the one that he remembers. From there, things escalate.
WRITING
Williamson’s job here is mostly setup, and he succeeds at that. The issue is a good recap for readers who may have missed anything, but a lot of the story that touches on the Legion kind of loses you when you remember that you don’t really know anything about them. All we’ve really been told up until this point is that Darkseid has control of a Legion and that he’s now beginning to execute his plan. One would’ve assumed that Williamson would’ve dived a little deeper into that here, but he just doesn’t. It’s not that he doesn’t have time to later, it’s just that he really dives right in with them here and it’s a little jarring to keep up with. It doesn’t even really seem as though Saturn Girl is there to taunt or observe Superman. She seems like she’s more just there to let him know that he’s pointless? It’s unclear what the goal is with most of the interaction, but it does end in an interesting way. Again, it’s a pretty solid recap issue of what we already know while also displaying how Superman is already outmatched by this new Legion, but it just doesn’t take any extra steps to raise the stakes.
ART
Mora is, as always, fantastic. He really has a strong grip on these characters and what they represent, and is constantly able to show that through his art, whether it be in single panels or huge spreads. Some individual panels of Superman look a little funky, but Mora’s actual paneling this issue is some of his best. There’s this great spread where many events of Superman’s life are shown, and he walks through them with Saturn Girl as though those events make up the floor and walls around him. There’s a really special spread where Superman uppercuts another character, and all the panels around him almost move with him and form around him. They’re all near the bottom of the page signifying the speed at which Superman is rising, but they’re also all slanted and angled towards the punch. It gives each panel depth and really allows us to feel the weight and force of Superman’s attack. Really impressive paneling from Mora this time around.
COLORS
Sánchez’s work is always one of the most exciting things that these issues have to offer. He really works well with lightning characters and making everyone pop with bright colors illuminating them. When two Legionnaires are seen floating in space, they’re lit by the light of the Justice League Watchtower, and that light completely shines on them from the front, giving them a really strong silhouette. Later in the issue, Superman teleports away at a certain point, and his colors become less dynamic and flat in the panel before he fades away completely. It kind of plays like Dragon Ball’s instant transmission, with us seeing the teleportation happening for just half a second. It gives it a lot of personality.
LETTERS
There’s a lot of exposition and explanations in this issue, and Maher spaces out all the dialogue really well. Especially in those double-page spreads, Maher follows each character and gives them room to breath while also not covering any important pieces of art. Every bubble is placed carefully, and it really allows us to soak it all in. Something cool from the end of the issue is when Darkseid contacts Saturn Girl. His words aren’t bound by any box or bubble. It’s almost like they rumble through the very Earth she’s standing on. It’s free text on the page with a font that makes it seem like it’s a higher calling than what we’re used to. It’s immediate and omnipresent, and very striking.
CONCLUSION
Overall, Superman #28 is a solid issue that this team has given us. Williamson, Mora, Sánchez, and Maher all do their best to catch us up. While that does come with some drawbacks, their execution is very good for the most part. We’re immediately given a feel for these characters and the situation that Clark finds himself in, and this threat already seems larger than life. It’s an issue with a hard job, and it does succeed in having us eager for another issue to answer more burning questions as we move into this new era of DC.
