What do you think?
Rate this book
Superman: Kryptonite: The Deluxe Edition
160 pages, Hardcover
Published December 17, 2024
30 people want to read
About the author
Darwyn Cooke
248 books358 followersDarwyn Cooke was an Eisner Award winning comic book writer, artist, cartoonist and animator, best known for his work on the comic books Catwoman, DC: The New Frontier and Will Eisner's The Spirit.
In 1985, Cooke published his first comic book work as a professional artist in a short story in New Talent Showcase #19, but economic pressure made him leave the career and he worked in Canada as a magazine art director, graphic and product designer for the next 15 years.
In the early 1990s Cooke decided to return to comics, but found little interest for his work at the major publishers. Eventually he was hired by Warner Bros. Animation after replying to an ad placed by animator Bruce Timm.
He went on to work as a storyboard artist for Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, and in 1999 he animated the main title design for Batman Beyond. He then worked as a director for Sony Animation's Men in Black: The Series for a year.
DC Comics then approached Cooke about a project which he had submitted to the publisher years earlier which eventually became Batman: Ego, a graphic novel published in 2000.
The critical success of that project led to Cooke taking on more freelance work, such as X-Force, Wolverine/Doop and Spider-Man's Tangled Web for Marvel Comics and Just Imagine... Stan Lee for DC.
In 2001, Cooke and writer Ed Brubaker teamed up to revamp the Catwoman character. They started with a 4 issue serial "Trail of the Catwoman" in Detective Comics #759-762 in which private detective Slam Bradley attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman).
The story led into a new Catwoman title in late 2001 by Brubaker and Cooke, in which the character's costume, supporting cast and modus operandi were all redesigned and redeveloped. Cooke would stay on the series, which was met with critical and fan acclaim, up until issue #4. In 2002 he would write and draw a prequel, the Selina's Big Score graphic novel which detailed what had happened to the character directly before her new series.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cooke's next project was the ambitious DC: The New Frontier (2004), a six issue miniseries which sought to tell an epic storyline bridging the gap between the end of the golden and the start of the silver age of comic books in the DC Universe. The story, which was set in the 1950s, featured dozens of super-hero characters and drew inspiration from the comic books and movies of the period as well as from Tom Wolfe's non-fiction account of the start of the US Space Program The Right Stuff. The major DC characters are introduced in "The New Frontier" in the same order that DC originally published them, even down to the correct month and year in the story's timeline. In 2005, Cooke won an Eisner Award for "Best Limited Series", and a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on the series.
Most recently, Cooke contributed to DC's artist-centric anthology project Solo. His issue (#5, June, 2005) featured several different stories in different styles with a framing sequence featuring the Slam Bradley character. In 2006, Solo #5 won an Eisner Award for "Best Single Issue."
In July 2005, it was announced that in 2006 Cooke and writer Jeph Loeb would produce a Batman/Spirit crossover, to be followed shortly afterwards by an ongoing Spirit series written and drawn by Cooke. Batman/The Spirit was ultimately published in November 2006, followed in December by the first issue of Cooke's The Spirit. In June 2007, Cooke and J. Bone won a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artists" for their work on "Batman/The Spirit", and Cooke won "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on "The Spirit".
In July 2006, it was announced that Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics would release a series of direct-to-DVD animated movies based on important DC com
In 1985, Cooke published his first comic book work as a professional artist in a short story in New Talent Showcase #19, but economic pressure made him leave the career and he worked in Canada as a magazine art director, graphic and product designer for the next 15 years.
In the early 1990s Cooke decided to return to comics, but found little interest for his work at the major publishers. Eventually he was hired by Warner Bros. Animation after replying to an ad placed by animator Bruce Timm.
He went on to work as a storyboard artist for Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, and in 1999 he animated the main title design for Batman Beyond. He then worked as a director for Sony Animation's Men in Black: The Series for a year.
DC Comics then approached Cooke about a project which he had submitted to the publisher years earlier which eventually became Batman: Ego, a graphic novel published in 2000.
The critical success of that project led to Cooke taking on more freelance work, such as X-Force, Wolverine/Doop and Spider-Man's Tangled Web for Marvel Comics and Just Imagine... Stan Lee for DC.
In 2001, Cooke and writer Ed Brubaker teamed up to revamp the Catwoman character. They started with a 4 issue serial "Trail of the Catwoman" in Detective Comics #759-762 in which private detective Slam Bradley attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman).
The story led into a new Catwoman title in late 2001 by Brubaker and Cooke, in which the character's costume, supporting cast and modus operandi were all redesigned and redeveloped. Cooke would stay on the series, which was met with critical and fan acclaim, up until issue #4. In 2002 he would write and draw a prequel, the Selina's Big Score graphic novel which detailed what had happened to the character directly before her new series.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cooke's next project was the ambitious DC: The New Frontier (2004), a six issue miniseries which sought to tell an epic storyline bridging the gap between the end of the golden and the start of the silver age of comic books in the DC Universe. The story, which was set in the 1950s, featured dozens of super-hero characters and drew inspiration from the comic books and movies of the period as well as from Tom Wolfe's non-fiction account of the start of the US Space Program The Right Stuff. The major DC characters are introduced in "The New Frontier" in the same order that DC originally published them, even down to the correct month and year in the story's timeline. In 2005, Cooke won an Eisner Award for "Best Limited Series", and a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on the series.
Most recently, Cooke contributed to DC's artist-centric anthology project Solo. His issue (#5, June, 2005) featured several different stories in different styles with a framing sequence featuring the Slam Bradley character. In 2006, Solo #5 won an Eisner Award for "Best Single Issue."
In July 2005, it was announced that in 2006 Cooke and writer Jeph Loeb would produce a Batman/Spirit crossover, to be followed shortly afterwards by an ongoing Spirit series written and drawn by Cooke. Batman/The Spirit was ultimately published in November 2006, followed in December by the first issue of Cooke's The Spirit. In June 2007, Cooke and J. Bone won a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artists" for their work on "Batman/The Spirit", and Cooke won "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on "The Spirit".
In July 2006, it was announced that Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics would release a series of direct-to-DVD animated movies based on important DC com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 20, 2025
Superman: Kryptonite by Darwyn Cooke & Tim Sale is a beautifully crafted, emotionally rich story that takes a slower, more introspective look at the Man of Steel. Rather than big action or world-ending threats, it explores Clark’s deepest vulnerabilities—what it means to be nearly invincible, but not quite.
Cooke’s writing is thoughtful and layered, and Tim Sale’s art brings a moody elegance to every page. The tone is quiet but powerful, and by the end, I felt reflective and a little heartbroken—in the best way. Loved this one, especially the volcano scene. A standout Superman tale.
Cooke’s writing is thoughtful and layered, and Tim Sale’s art brings a moody elegance to every page. The tone is quiet but powerful, and by the end, I felt reflective and a little heartbroken—in the best way. Loved this one, especially the volcano scene. A standout Superman tale.
July 27, 2025
i've been on a dc kick after watching the new superman movie (loved it), looking for some grounded superman stories to read because i find those to be the better insights on one of my favorite characters. this one stood out from the first moment and throughout it all it didn't disappoint. sale's art usually takes me a second to acclimatize and then it becomes one of my favorite art styles out there --its simplicity at first glance makes it so the composition, the character designs, and the emotions really stand out. and i fell in love with cooke's writing, whom i don't think i've read before: clark's internal monologue as well as the historian's were wonderful to read. superhero comics tend to focus on action and plot progression, which sometimes makes it so the prose and character development is forgotten, so it was a breath of fresh air to find those being consistent and thoughtful here.
superman's treatment was incredible and brought something really interesting to the table. the contrast between clark's fear during his first few years as superman not knowing the limits of his invulnerabilty --always wondering what could kill him and what could not, but diving head first into it if it means saving even one person--, and his utter relief finding out the thing that actually kills him because it makes him mortal just like the people he wants to protect... i could cry. this really captured the search for connection that i think is essential to clark's character: to the kents, to lois, to being human, to his past. it captured his loneliness as well, without diminishing his relationships. it captured his motivations, his doubts, his mistakes, his resolve. this is one of those stories that instantly cements itself into my understanding of a character, and i'm definitely going to keep coming back to it.
superman's treatment was incredible and brought something really interesting to the table. the contrast between clark's fear during his first few years as superman not knowing the limits of his invulnerabilty --always wondering what could kill him and what could not, but diving head first into it if it means saving even one person--, and his utter relief finding out the thing that actually kills him because it makes him mortal just like the people he wants to protect... i could cry. this really captured the search for connection that i think is essential to clark's character: to the kents, to lois, to being human, to his past. it captured his loneliness as well, without diminishing his relationships. it captured his motivations, his doubts, his mistakes, his resolve. this is one of those stories that instantly cements itself into my understanding of a character, and i'm definitely going to keep coming back to it.
July 10, 2025
I loved this one.
But I'm noticing an interesting trend:
Yesterday I read Superman Smashes the Klan, and the afterword mentioned that the author based it off of an old Superman radio play.
Last night I read Superman: Secret Identity and Busiek's forward spoke at length about how this was inspired by a throwaway short story using the same concept, published decades earlier.
Then I opened this and the Darwyn Cooke mentioned that when searching for an idea, he also found a radio play, and also a comic from the 30's that introduces kryptonite, with many of those elements finding there way in to this new story.
I have no point to make here. I've loved all of these stories. So it doesn't bother me that they have their roots in stories that had already been told. I guess it just speaks to the timelessness of what makes a great Superman story.
All three stories had wildly differing tones. They each pulled from different eras of the character. But they all felt like Superman. Great stuff.
Anyway! Darwyn Cooke is excellent. This is my first time reading him and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. He even managed to make the space/cosmic/dimensional travel gobbledygook palatable. No tall order!
But as is often the case, Tim Sale steals the show. I've only ever read his collaborations with Loeb, and I suppose assumed that the magic came from that collaborative effort. But here he is, turning in some art work that I enjoyed just as much as For All Seasons or The Long Halloween.
It's honestly a travesty that none of these giants are with us anymore.
If you're going to read this, grab the deluxe edition so that you can read Darwyn's foreword, and Tim's sketchbook/afterword.
But I'm noticing an interesting trend:
Yesterday I read Superman Smashes the Klan, and the afterword mentioned that the author based it off of an old Superman radio play.
Last night I read Superman: Secret Identity and Busiek's forward spoke at length about how this was inspired by a throwaway short story using the same concept, published decades earlier.
Then I opened this and the Darwyn Cooke mentioned that when searching for an idea, he also found a radio play, and also a comic from the 30's that introduces kryptonite, with many of those elements finding there way in to this new story.
I have no point to make here. I've loved all of these stories. So it doesn't bother me that they have their roots in stories that had already been told. I guess it just speaks to the timelessness of what makes a great Superman story.
All three stories had wildly differing tones. They each pulled from different eras of the character. But they all felt like Superman. Great stuff.
Anyway! Darwyn Cooke is excellent. This is my first time reading him and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. He even managed to make the space/cosmic/dimensional travel gobbledygook palatable. No tall order!
But as is often the case, Tim Sale steals the show. I've only ever read his collaborations with Loeb, and I suppose assumed that the magic came from that collaborative effort. But here he is, turning in some art work that I enjoyed just as much as For All Seasons or The Long Halloween.
It's honestly a travesty that none of these giants are with us anymore.
If you're going to read this, grab the deluxe edition so that you can read Darwyn's foreword, and Tim's sketchbook/afterword.
March 13, 2025
An excellent little story about Superman's first confrontation with kryptonite and how that weakness defines his humanity, despite him being an alien. The art by Tim Sale is stellar.
July 20, 2025
read it in one sitting. bought it blind as i was in a supes mood post-film. feels like a sequel to ‘for all seasons’. if ‘for all seasons’ is clark discovering the ‘super’, then ‘kryptonite’ is clark discovering the ‘man’.
standout moments are clark telling ma & pa kent that finding out he can die makes him feel more of a man than he did yesterday, and also him sitting with the polar bear. superman is a lonely man :(
tim sale’s art is infinitely gorgeous, darwyn cooke’s writing is infinitely psychological. rest in peace to them both.
wasn’t big on krypotonite possession thing, and the conflict between lex and gallo didn’t make tonnes of sense but whatever
standout moments are clark telling ma & pa kent that finding out he can die makes him feel more of a man than he did yesterday, and also him sitting with the polar bear. superman is a lonely man :(
tim sale’s art is infinitely gorgeous, darwyn cooke’s writing is infinitely psychological. rest in peace to them both.
wasn’t big on krypotonite possession thing, and the conflict between lex and gallo didn’t make tonnes of sense but whatever
July 22, 2025
Artist Tim Sale said his panel of the not-yet-fully-aware-of-his-invicibility Superman panicking and desperately coughing up lava was one of his greatest panels and he was right. And any Lois Lane who noticeably resembles my wife is a good Lois Lane. Some genuinely great moments amid a clunky overall plot.
Nice to see some bold artwork and coloring instead of the usual airbrushed drivel. Almost upped it to 4✩ just for that.
Nice to see some bold artwork and coloring instead of the usual airbrushed drivel. Almost upped it to 4✩ just for that.
September 7, 2025
Tim Sale is my favorite artist for Superman and I wish he got to draw him more. Darwyn Cooke is also an incredible author and his writing of Superman made him feel more human than ever. Rest is peace to both of this these incredible artists.
October 23, 2025
Tim Sale is my favorite artist for Superman and I wish he got to draw him more. Darwyn Cooke is also an incredible author and his writing of Superman made him feel more human than ever. Rest is peace to both of this these incredible artists.
July 16, 2025
Four star story, but the art bumps it up to five stars. Dude could draw.
February 17, 2026
The story is good. The character depictions are very good. The art is phenomenal.
October 3, 2025
This is a sort of re-creation of a classic Superman story, like if Cooke could go back in time and write it in the Golden Age. So that’s really fun, and the art is great and fitting of Golden Age era.
Ultimately though nothing extraordinary happens, it’s just a very good story about Superman and kryptonite. So it’s a 4 star book for me.
Ultimately though nothing extraordinary happens, it’s just a very good story about Superman and kryptonite. So it’s a 4 star book for me.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews