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Superman: New Krypton Saga #1
Superman: New Krypton, Vol. 1
Best-selling writers Geoff Johns (INFINITE CRISIS, GREEN LANTERN) and James Robinson (STARMAN, JSA: THE GOLDEN AGE) unleash a massive storyline that changes Superman's life forever!
After a devastating battle with the alien villain Brainiac, The Man of Steel learns that a piece of his home planet Krypton survived - the shrunken, bottled city of Kandor! And when the city is grown to normal size, it looks like Superman finally has the connection to his past he's been missing all his life as thousands of Kryptonians are suddenly able to walk the Earth. But his happiness soon turns to dread as relations between the Kryptonians and humans dissolve, and the two cultures face a massive clash!
This is just the beginning of a 9-part mega-event that alters The Man of Tomorrow down to his core.
This new hardcover collects SUPERMAN: NEW KRYPTON SPECIAL #1, SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN SPECIAL #1, SUPERMAN #681, ACTION COMICS #871 and ADVENTURE COMICS SPECIAL FEATURING THE GUARDIAN #1.
After a devastating battle with the alien villain Brainiac, The Man of Steel learns that a piece of his home planet Krypton survived - the shrunken, bottled city of Kandor! And when the city is grown to normal size, it looks like Superman finally has the connection to his past he's been missing all his life as thousands of Kryptonians are suddenly able to walk the Earth. But his happiness soon turns to dread as relations between the Kryptonians and humans dissolve, and the two cultures face a massive clash!
This is just the beginning of a 9-part mega-event that alters The Man of Tomorrow down to his core.
This new hardcover collects SUPERMAN: NEW KRYPTON SPECIAL #1, SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN SPECIAL #1, SUPERMAN #681, ACTION COMICS #871 and ADVENTURE COMICS SPECIAL FEATURING THE GUARDIAN #1.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
23 people are currently reading
429 people want to read
About the author
Geoff Johns
2,718 books2,410 followersGeoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
September 22, 2016
Wow! This might actually be a Superman story that has legs.
First thing I noticed: James Robinson is writing most of it and I like most of his stuff.
Second: The story line is intriguing – Kandor, the Kryptonian city in a bottle captured by Brainiac, has been restored on Earth, right next to Superman’s Arctic Fortress of Solitude.
As the disaster porn that was the movie, Man of Steel revealed, Superman had huge problems with a handful of Krytonians, now there’s over 100,000.
What if the all want of take over? The Zod faction is already grumbling and giving Earthlings the stink eye.
What will the Justice League think?
And most importantly, what will Batman say?
Superman wants to unravel the growing tension with the diplomatic approach, but that runs into a snafu by the name of Doomsday. Who the hell invited him to the party?
Idea: If things start to get hairy we can do a town hall meeting in the Fortress of Solitude and invite Lex Luthor and do that switcheroo-negation of powers.
Where the hell is Gene Hackman when you need him?
Because the plot unfolds, via a few Jimmy Olsen stories (just shoot me now), in that roundabout way that makes reading DC comics such a “special” experience, I almost gave up before I got started. Olsen clumsily uncovers an Army conspiracy that involves weapons that target Superman.
And Jimmy Olsen has sex. With women. Lalalalalalalalalala! Didn’t need or want to know that. Lalalalalalalalalalala!
Bottom line: It’s off to an okay start. I’ve borrowed everything my library has (HAHAHAHAHA!), so it’ll bepainful interesting to try and piece the story together based on what I have. Wish me luck.
First thing I noticed: James Robinson is writing most of it and I like most of his stuff.
Second: The story line is intriguing – Kandor, the Kryptonian city in a bottle captured by Brainiac, has been restored on Earth, right next to Superman’s Arctic Fortress of Solitude.
As the disaster porn that was the movie, Man of Steel revealed, Superman had huge problems with a handful of Krytonians, now there’s over 100,000.
What if the all want of take over? The Zod faction is already grumbling and giving Earthlings the stink eye.
What will the Justice League think?
And most importantly, what will Batman say?
Superman wants to unravel the growing tension with the diplomatic approach, but that runs into a snafu by the name of Doomsday. Who the hell invited him to the party?
Idea: If things start to get hairy we can do a town hall meeting in the Fortress of Solitude and invite Lex Luthor and do that switcheroo-negation of powers.
Where the hell is Gene Hackman when you need him?
Because the plot unfolds, via a few Jimmy Olsen stories (just shoot me now), in that roundabout way that makes reading DC comics such a “special” experience, I almost gave up before I got started. Olsen clumsily uncovers an Army conspiracy that involves weapons that target Superman.
And Jimmy Olsen has sex. With women. Lalalalalalalalalala! Didn’t need or want to know that. Lalalalalalalalalalala!
Bottom line: It’s off to an okay start. I’ve borrowed everything my library has (HAHAHAHAHA!), so it’ll be
April 21, 2021
2.5 stars
"The people on Earth are good, for the most part." -- Superman, on page 109
Right there with ya, Supes - I just wish I could say the same about this volume. Taking place on the heels of Superman: Last Son of Krypton (which I coincidentally read just last month, and found to be exceptionally good), New Krypton, Vol. 1 makes a big strategic mistake by opening with a boring, dialogue-heavy story that doesn't even feature our title character. Instead, readers are treated to Jimmy Olsen on some plodding investigative journalist jaunt. Other than a charming conversation between a father and daughter in the final pages the segment was forgettable. Somewhat better was the second story - which picks up directly after the aforementioned Last Son of Krypton - that has a thousand Kryptonians (just rescued from the clutches of supervillain Brainiac, and sporting similar powers to the Man of Steel) are introduced into the Earth's population. It would be nice to think that all of them would exhibit Superman's altruistic nature, but one memorable scene shows that some will be all-too-human in their self-centeredness. The volume needed more of THAT type of drama.
"The people on Earth are good, for the most part." -- Superman, on page 109
Right there with ya, Supes - I just wish I could say the same about this volume. Taking place on the heels of Superman: Last Son of Krypton (which I coincidentally read just last month, and found to be exceptionally good), New Krypton, Vol. 1 makes a big strategic mistake by opening with a boring, dialogue-heavy story that doesn't even feature our title character. Instead, readers are treated to Jimmy Olsen on some plodding investigative journalist jaunt. Other than a charming conversation between a father and daughter in the final pages the segment was forgettable. Somewhat better was the second story - which picks up directly after the aforementioned Last Son of Krypton - that has a thousand Kryptonians (just rescued from the clutches of supervillain Brainiac, and sporting similar powers to the Man of Steel) are introduced into the Earth's population. It would be nice to think that all of them would exhibit Superman's altruistic nature, but one memorable scene shows that some will be all-too-human in their self-centeredness. The volume needed more of THAT type of drama.
August 12, 2017
Man this volume felt SO uneven. So the first half of this book is basically Jimmy: The Story Of somebody Nobody Cares About. Jimmy goes after a hidden figure, and soon is hunted down, and honestly...Jimmy is just...ugh we'll get to that later. On the second half of this story Clark goes to his new Krypton which is right near his icey palace.
Superman is trying to figure out what to do. Now there's a ton of people on Earth similar to him in power and powers. People flip out and are scared as fuck. Then got Doomsday just showing up out of nowhere and we have all the Kryptions just beat the living fuck out of him to show how strong they are united.
What I liked: The fights were decent. I really liked the idea of Superman basically being the leader of his people and trying to fit them in. I also liked that not EVERYONE is following their lead. Also the ending was a surprise and a odd teamup that I NEVER heard of.
What I didn't like: The whole first half was so fucking boring. Jimmy is a pretty bland character. Giving him THAT much spotlight? NOT A GOOD IDEA. Also why the hell did Doomsday just fly down to start shit? Like wut? Also the art is 50/50. Some of it is great, the other half is odd facial expressions that threw me off.
Overall the second half is around a 3, first half is around a 1, so together around a 2-2.5. It's okay but could have been great. I'll try another volume.
Superman is trying to figure out what to do. Now there's a ton of people on Earth similar to him in power and powers. People flip out and are scared as fuck. Then got Doomsday just showing up out of nowhere and we have all the Kryptions just beat the living fuck out of him to show how strong they are united.
What I liked: The fights were decent. I really liked the idea of Superman basically being the leader of his people and trying to fit them in. I also liked that not EVERYONE is following their lead. Also the ending was a surprise and a odd teamup that I NEVER heard of.
What I didn't like: The whole first half was so fucking boring. Jimmy is a pretty bland character. Giving him THAT much spotlight? NOT A GOOD IDEA. Also why the hell did Doomsday just fly down to start shit? Like wut? Also the art is 50/50. Some of it is great, the other half is odd facial expressions that threw me off.
Overall the second half is around a 3, first half is around a 1, so together around a 2-2.5. It's okay but could have been great. I'll try another volume.
June 9, 2013
New Krypton picks up from the end of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Superman: Brainiac, when Superman defeated Brainiac and freed the bottled city of Kandor, formerly Krypton’s lost capital. My memory’s hazy on this point but I thought he took Kandor to Mars before he resized it back to normal so the inhabitants wouldn’t get superpowers like he did and dominate Earth? Anyway, in this book Kandor is resized in Antarctica and the 100,000 inhabitants get the same superpowers that Superman has.
If Lex Luthor and General Sam Lane were paranoid about one Superman, they positively flip out when 100,000 suddenly appear overnight! But despite Superman’s best efforts to acclimatise them to Earth, it seems not all Kandorians are as good as he is and the people of Earth, Superman, and some of the bad eggs among them are headed for a showdown.
At least that’s the story in the second half of the book. New Krypton spends the first half with Jimmy Olsen as he investigates... something. I like Jimmy, I think it’s great we got to spend some time with him and got to see that he’s more than the office cut-up, but I’m genuinely having a hard time figuring out what the point of his story was. It revolves around a mystery featuring a series of characters I’ve never heard of, clones, and an over-complicated plot to kill Superman that never happens. It also seems to have no impact on the second half of the book.
James Robinson is a very hit or miss writer - he’s competent and writes in an interesting way but all of his characters sound alike, and some sound strangely British despite being American (part of Robinson’s writing tics being a Brit himself, I suppose). Though I loved a line he gave Lois when Lombard’s hitting on her (yet again) - Lombard: You ever want a real man, Lois, just come to my apartment. Lois: Why, Steve? You’ve still got one chained up in your bathroom?
I think the New Krypton storyline is a weak one - there can never be 100,000 beings on Earth with Superman’s powers, it’s just too much. It’s a storyline that you know is going to be resolved soon with no lasting consequences. The first half of this book is an incomprehensible mystery that anyone coming to this book cold with little knowledge of Superman comics is going to become totally lost in while the second half is a meandering, rather dull story with a contrived action scene to close out the book. Definitely not a must-read Superman book.
If Lex Luthor and General Sam Lane were paranoid about one Superman, they positively flip out when 100,000 suddenly appear overnight! But despite Superman’s best efforts to acclimatise them to Earth, it seems not all Kandorians are as good as he is and the people of Earth, Superman, and some of the bad eggs among them are headed for a showdown.
At least that’s the story in the second half of the book. New Krypton spends the first half with Jimmy Olsen as he investigates... something. I like Jimmy, I think it’s great we got to spend some time with him and got to see that he’s more than the office cut-up, but I’m genuinely having a hard time figuring out what the point of his story was. It revolves around a mystery featuring a series of characters I’ve never heard of, clones, and an over-complicated plot to kill Superman that never happens. It also seems to have no impact on the second half of the book.
James Robinson is a very hit or miss writer - he’s competent and writes in an interesting way but all of his characters sound alike, and some sound strangely British despite being American (part of Robinson’s writing tics being a Brit himself, I suppose). Though I loved a line he gave Lois when Lombard’s hitting on her (yet again) - Lombard: You ever want a real man, Lois, just come to my apartment. Lois: Why, Steve? You’ve still got one chained up in your bathroom?
I think the New Krypton storyline is a weak one - there can never be 100,000 beings on Earth with Superman’s powers, it’s just too much. It’s a storyline that you know is going to be resolved soon with no lasting consequences. The first half of this book is an incomprehensible mystery that anyone coming to this book cold with little knowledge of Superman comics is going to become totally lost in while the second half is a meandering, rather dull story with a contrived action scene to close out the book. Definitely not a must-read Superman book.
August 23, 2021
This one was good and like starts with a Jim Olsen story as he is trying to find something related to the Guardian and he comes across Codename Assassin a man named Jon Drew and he is targeting him now. Meanwhile Olsen tries to find the clone of Jim Harper and learns more about this project and we get his POV and that entailed there and its fascinating to find it but its presented in a boring way with too much exposition and even the motive isn't that clear.
And finally the main story starts with Superman reeling with the death of his father and then rescuing the Kandorians and the emergence of 100k Kryptonians on earth and how people react to it and how Superman also reacts to it and then the drama happens and the fallout, the politics of it all and what people think of it and finally the coming of Doomsday and what other plans General Lane and Lex have to deal with this threat. And Clark struck in the middle of it with Lois and Jimmy on their adventures maybe?
Its a okay volume which has its moments but some stories bog it down but the stuff written by Geoff is so good and you feel the emotions there but then there are panels which are really bad and like hinders the story but he plays on the paranoia of people that they will normally have in this situation and they are setting up a gauntlet of sorts seems like so that should be interesting. The art is good throughout so!
And finally the main story starts with Superman reeling with the death of his father and then rescuing the Kandorians and the emergence of 100k Kryptonians on earth and how people react to it and how Superman also reacts to it and then the drama happens and the fallout, the politics of it all and what people think of it and finally the coming of Doomsday and what other plans General Lane and Lex have to deal with this threat. And Clark struck in the middle of it with Lois and Jimmy on their adventures maybe?
Its a okay volume which has its moments but some stories bog it down but the stuff written by Geoff is so good and you feel the emotions there but then there are panels which are really bad and like hinders the story but he plays on the paranoia of people that they will normally have in this situation and they are setting up a gauntlet of sorts seems like so that should be interesting. The art is good throughout so!
August 12, 2009
If you ever found yourself saying "I need 85 pages of Jimmy Olsen before I get into a Superman story", this is the book for you. If not.....pass.
July 15, 2018
A solid start.
World: The art is great, what you expect from Gary Frank and Robinson, there is a realism and grounded nature to their art that is amazing, especially the characters and their ability to convey emotions. The world building is also great, it's the continuation of 'Brainiac' and it's the change of the status quo that is Kandor. There are a lot of pieces and potential fallout so it's great for drama.
Story: I will be honest, I love Jimmy but I found his story boring, convoluted and dull. I didn't like it, it had some little pieces of note but overall it was a slog. The new story with Superman is good, it hits hard at the emotions and anchors the story well. It also sets up a lot of pieces for future stories, this was the first part to realign the world for future stories. This is character based so it made me happy. The end was kinda meh but it did set up stakes.
Characters: Supes is fine, this is pre New52 so he is okay will kill ingredients Doomsday but that's about it. Little time for character work most of it was spent on setting up the world. Jimmy story was okay but the pacing didn't really help the development.
Solid start and good to move pieces around.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is great, what you expect from Gary Frank and Robinson, there is a realism and grounded nature to their art that is amazing, especially the characters and their ability to convey emotions. The world building is also great, it's the continuation of 'Brainiac' and it's the change of the status quo that is Kandor. There are a lot of pieces and potential fallout so it's great for drama.
Story: I will be honest, I love Jimmy but I found his story boring, convoluted and dull. I didn't like it, it had some little pieces of note but overall it was a slog. The new story with Superman is good, it hits hard at the emotions and anchors the story well. It also sets up a lot of pieces for future stories, this was the first part to realign the world for future stories. This is character based so it made me happy. The end was kinda meh but it did set up stakes.
Characters: Supes is fine, this is pre New52 so he is okay will kill ingredients Doomsday but that's about it. Little time for character work most of it was spent on setting up the world. Jimmy story was okay but the pacing didn't really help the development.
Solid start and good to move pieces around.
Onward to the next book!
August 31, 2013
The first of 4 volumes following the events of Superman: Brainiac. In defeating Brainiac, Superman freed the bottle city of Kandor, which is now full sized and on Earth. He reunites with his Aunt & Uncle Alura and Zor-El (and they reunite with their daughter, Kara aka. Supergirl). In the meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen uncovers some very odd information about a Cadmus project and a government Assassin and seeks answers from The Guardian.
Clark also deals with the aftermath of his father's death just previously (during the Brainiac storyline). Others aren't so excited about a city full of Supermen showing up, including the government, and the JLA/JSA.
A powerful military General frees one of Superman's greatest enemies to help plan his (and the rest of the Kryptonians') defeat. The first step of this is to unleash a killer from the past on Superman...
A lot happening here, though it doesn't really pick up until the 3rd issue. Good stuff in some places, a little slow in others, but it is fairly straightforward, that some on Earth would be super excited and think they now had 100,000 Supermen to save them, while others feel threatened by that same fact.
I find myself agreeing with the worries of Superman's greatest enemy...
Good start to the Event, though you can really tell when Geoff Johns is writing (much better quality, though the James Robinson stuff is good).
Clark also deals with the aftermath of his father's death just previously (during the Brainiac storyline). Others aren't so excited about a city full of Supermen showing up, including the government, and the JLA/JSA.
A powerful military General frees one of Superman's greatest enemies to help plan his (and the rest of the Kryptonians') defeat. The first step of this is to unleash a killer from the past on Superman...
A lot happening here, though it doesn't really pick up until the 3rd issue. Good stuff in some places, a little slow in others, but it is fairly straightforward, that some on Earth would be super excited and think they now had 100,000 Supermen to save them, while others feel threatened by that same fact.
I find myself agreeing with the worries of Superman's greatest enemy...
Good start to the Event, though you can really tell when Geoff Johns is writing (much better quality, though the James Robinson stuff is good).
September 28, 2025
Kind of boring overall. The first half was very narrative-heavy and focused on Jimmy Olsen, which dragged for me. Things picked up in the second half once Superman came back into the spotlight, but by then I was already losing interest. As a whole, I just didn’t connect with it and don’t think I’ll continue with the series.
February 6, 2020
Pretty good. I am in the process of going back to read the DC Comics stuff Pre-Flashpoint and New 52. The book featured the writing of two of my favorite comic book authors, Geoff Johns & James Robinson. This story is just really cool. The first half of the book finds Jimmy Olsen trying to step up his reporter skills. Olsen is investigating a mysterious organization that is using cloning and other weird experiments to create an army to combat Superman. Meanwhile Supes has a problem that hits close to home. Superman's father has died and the people of Kandor(last of the Kryptonian race) are now free to live on earth after then defeat of Brainiac. For the first time in Superman's life he is conflicted about if his people are ready to live in harmony with the normal people of Earth. I really enjoyed this first volume of the New Krypton story arc. I love how Johns & Robinson mold the golden age hero The Guardian into the current DC comics lore. Superman acts like himself which at current DC I have not read in a while since the Tomasi & Jurgen's run. I hate to gripe but the current Bendis Superman stuff doesn't interest me. So it was great picking up a Superman story that is fresh but still keeps the tone about what Superman is all about. The other star of this book is the artwork. The colors and illustration is really top notch. I am looking forward to the next volume in this series.
April 25, 2023
Superman: New Krypton Vol. 1
Jimmy White pursues a story which eventually leads him to a clone of Jim Harper, who reveals that Cadmus is manipulating events in an attempt to kill the Man of Steel. Meanwhile, Kal-El must slowly introduce over a hundred thousand survivors for the bottle city of Land of to life on Earth in the wake of the death of his father, Jonathan Kent.The
The story flows well and the pages where Clark mourns his father are drawn and coloured excellently, conveying a sense of grief without having to use any words.
Jimmy White pursues a story which eventually leads him to a clone of Jim Harper, who reveals that Cadmus is manipulating events in an attempt to kill the Man of Steel. Meanwhile, Kal-El must slowly introduce over a hundred thousand survivors for the bottle city of Land of to life on Earth in the wake of the death of his father, Jonathan Kent.The
The story flows well and the pages where Clark mourns his father are drawn and coloured excellently, conveying a sense of grief without having to use any words.
April 12, 2018
It took me a while to get into this one. It is okay but doesn't get to Superman until halfway through. You'll probably be better off picking something else.
May 28, 2011
I can't understand the current trend in comics that drama equals the death of a large number of supporting characters, especially unused supporting characters from the past. In my opinion, having this supply of characters to draw on is an advantage for comic writers - it gives them a plethora of opportunities to build on the world-building of previous writers, and an endless supply of possible ways to introduce new readers to old concepts or to give a surprise to long-time readers and fans. The death of a character, however, is a arc-ending act (not necessarily in comics) meant to titillate and engage readers interest int he short term, and is usually used to clear out continuity.
I had the misfortune to read New Krypton just after finishing the Jack Kirby Fourth World Omnibus. Jack Kirby's work was full of imaginative new possibilities and over-the-top characters and situations. In New Krypton, Geof Johns finishes the dismantling of Kirby's Fourth World that the Death of the New God series began - the Jimmy Olsen story arc kills off, or alludes to, the death of almost every character introduced during the Jimmy Olsen run that was part of the Fourth World saga.
And why? So we can have a story that tells us CADMUS was an evil organization at heart (again as over-used comic trope), and to prove to the reader that Jimmy Olsen is a Serious Reporter, despite the fact this should be obvious to most readers since sometime in the mid 1980s.
Halfway through this collection, the story moves towards exploring what would it mean for Earth if the bottled city of Kandor was restored and its Kryptonian population to immigrate to Earth. This is by far the more intriguing and imaginative part of the book, although somewhat marred by a large Doomsday fight sequence (I thought he was thrown into the entropic end of the universe?).
I had the misfortune to read New Krypton just after finishing the Jack Kirby Fourth World Omnibus. Jack Kirby's work was full of imaginative new possibilities and over-the-top characters and situations. In New Krypton, Geof Johns finishes the dismantling of Kirby's Fourth World that the Death of the New God series began - the Jimmy Olsen story arc kills off, or alludes to, the death of almost every character introduced during the Jimmy Olsen run that was part of the Fourth World saga.
And why? So we can have a story that tells us CADMUS was an evil organization at heart (again as over-used comic trope), and to prove to the reader that Jimmy Olsen is a Serious Reporter, despite the fact this should be obvious to most readers since sometime in the mid 1980s.
Halfway through this collection, the story moves towards exploring what would it mean for Earth if the bottled city of Kandor was restored and its Kryptonian population to immigrate to Earth. This is by far the more intriguing and imaginative part of the book, although somewhat marred by a large Doomsday fight sequence (I thought he was thrown into the entropic end of the universe?).
May 6, 2025
The Johns & Robinson era of Superman was terrific, and this shows why: great attention to the supporting cast, good plots, solid focus on the modern history of Superman, but also treading on new ground rather than just retreading the past.
This volume is unfortunately bifurcated.
The first half is a Robinson story about the corruption of Cadmus as discovered by Jimmy Olson. It's a great extension of the Cadmus stories from the early Triangle days of post-Crisis Superman and also makes fun use of First Issue characters such as Codename Assassin. Its only problem is that the Jimmy Olson special that leads things off is overly long.
The second half is then pretty much the teaser for the New Krypton storyline. What does one do with a hundred thousand Supermen? Well, that's the question, and it's an intriguing one, but this volume just barely starts to address it.
Superman was really flying high with innovative stories that stretched the standard boundaries of the comic ... before DC's horrendous Nu52 screwed it all up. (It's never recovered to this level.)
This volume is unfortunately bifurcated.
The first half is a Robinson story about the corruption of Cadmus as discovered by Jimmy Olson. It's a great extension of the Cadmus stories from the early Triangle days of post-Crisis Superman and also makes fun use of First Issue characters such as Codename Assassin. Its only problem is that the Jimmy Olson special that leads things off is overly long.
The second half is then pretty much the teaser for the New Krypton storyline. What does one do with a hundred thousand Supermen? Well, that's the question, and it's an intriguing one, but this volume just barely starts to address it.
Superman was really flying high with innovative stories that stretched the standard boundaries of the comic ... before DC's horrendous Nu52 screwed it all up. (It's never recovered to this level.)
March 27, 2010
Good book. It took me a little bit to get into the Jimmy Olsen opening story line but then the pages flew. Kandor meet Earth, Earth meet Kandor. The story is very X-men like. Fear of homosuperiors, etc. Oh and the apparent death of another major character in the Superman universe...somehow I think they'll find a way to bring this one back though.
September 6, 2010
True this installment in the New Krypton storyline (which I believe will cover four volumes) has a little bit of everything. Science fiction, conspiracies, government cover-ups, etc. Not much characters work here, but a solid entertaining story.
March 1, 2013
It was the last great pre-TheNew52 Superman storyline. It was supposed to entertain and enlighten and energize the Superman books for years to come. It was one of the most massive, interconnected tales of Kal-El ever told.
And I thoroughly enjoyed it.
And I think I was one of the few who did.
And that is a complete shame.
Superman New Krypton is a storyline that takes place over almost two years worth of Superman, Action Comics, Supergirl, Superboy, World of New Krypton, Adventure Comics and various one shots and mini-series. One of the slight modifications after Infinite Crisis to the mythos was opening the floodgates to plenty of other Kryptonians being alive and well, and this concept became a tidal wave when Superman faced off against Brainiac for the “first” time and freed the kidnapped bottled city of Kandor.
In all classic and neo-modern versions of this tale, these fellow Kryptonians become jolly good friends of Superman and benevolent helpers to him. Those stores would always bore me to tears. Even when they enlarged and got their own planet, I couldn’t have cared less.
This time, this contemporary version, they range from arrogant to somewhat ungrateful to outright hostile to all sorts inbetween. It is made abundantly clear that one of the points of New Krypton is that a great part of makes Superman “Super” is the parentage of Ma and the now late Pa Kent. Early on the now powered up Kandorians relish “their” new planet, and view the current inhabitants, namely us humans, as like pets. The part with the whale illustrates this dichotomy so precisely, it is downright prescient of what future troubles are brewing.
Tensions immediately escalate when Lois’s presumed dead father, General Lane, enacts Project 7734, with the goal of fulfilling his genocidal hatred of all things Superman. Plots within plots within plots, each met with large body counts, becomes the constant theme here. Anyone and anything that gets in the way of eliminating these filthy aliens must be abolished. The massacres the Kandorians have to endure, and their counter measures to ensure their safety, cause global tensions and bring about a huge cadre of superheroes to sort the situation out.
At this point the preamble is done, the Kandorians see the welcome mat yanked away, which makes them launch their city off into space, create a crystalline planet for themselves, and take up orbit on the far side of the sun. Goodbye you crazy humans!
At this point, Kal is still trying to fix all the myriad problems that have come about here, and so with a heavy heart he talks to wife Lois and mother Martha and goes off to outer space and New Krypton.
The stage is set and the players are now in place.
Kal-El is now world building, society changing and evil plot solving in the World of New Krypton comic by James Robinson, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods. Guest stars like Green Lantern, Adam Strange and Jemm pop up here because of the new galactic power this planet represents. We also see the creators reinvent Krypton by incorporating as many different previous versions as possible, and somehow keeping internal logic. Kal learning about how things work here does not make him a happy Superman, and brings out the social revolutionary in him.
Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, new protectors have emerged in the Superman comic, by James Robinson and Renato Geudes. Through a series of flukes, Mon-El has been plucked from the Phantom Zone and managed to be cured, while another clone of the golden age hero The Guardian has come to town. These two bring truth and justice and subplots galore here every month.
But what of all the subterfuge between the two planets? Action Comics by Greg Rucka and various artists plays with this concept by showcasing the hunt for Kryptonian infiltrators by Nightwing and Flamebird. This crime fighting duo, and potential couple, are also Kryptonians and fighting against the evil General Zod’s plans for Earth.
The tale of someone genuinely torn between the two worlds is in the Supergirl comic, by Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. Whether she is on New Krypton endlessly arguing with her mother – and leader of Kandor, or learning about humanity while living with Lana Lang back on Earth, Supergirl is constantly challenged. She is also subjected to relentless yellow journalism by Daily Planet gossip hound Cat Grant, trying on the secret identity of Linda Lang, and recovering from Kryptonite poisoning, which by the way, is a brilliant pot device to fix the many many problems plaguing the character over the years. Supergirl 43 is the absolute best of this series, featuring her birthday and choosing a guild.
Joining in on the fun is Adventure Comics, by Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul. Starting with Superboy slowly becoming a part of everything, the series than evolves into telling the tale of how the time travelling Legion of Super Heroes are involved with this crisis.
Along the way with this sweeping storyline, we get some one shots giving us the journey of Jimmy Olsen as he investigates General Lane, and another one shot at a critical junction of everything. A personal favourite is the World’s Finest miniseries, by Sterling Gates and various artists, which has several very important plot developments. But the real reason this is a classic part of New Krypton is that these four issues have a literal whackload of Superman and Batman supporting characters teaming up, arguing, bantering, and just giving us readers a grand old adventure. Come on, Guardian and Robin Damian taking on Mr Freeze and the Parasite, what more can you ask for?
The only downside to this undertaking is the midway point. You can tell the gears behind the scenes were being shifted slightly, with some ideas, like Mon-El’s powers or what to do with Guardian’s “kid”, becoming increasing sidelined. By the time of the epic ending with The Last Stand of New Krypton comic, you can feel the lethargy kicking in. This is not to say the conclusion, which reaches its final crescendo with the War Of The Supermen mini-series, was not good and gripping and emotional, but it is obvious the fatigue from creating all those stories had taken it’s toll.
Afterall, besides everything I have mentioned, New Krypton also stars Lois Lane on a quest for the truth about her father, Perry White trying to guide her, Lex Luther being the master manipulator, Atlas being a brute, Steel helping out in Metropolis, the Creature Commandos making a comeback, Reactron being a ruthless murderer, Doomsday terrorizing everyone, Captain Atom playing a role, Daxam history getting re-explained, Codename: Assassin getting a dust-off, Silver Banshee giving a shout out, Insect Queen crawling about, Rao gaining new followers, and a partridge in a pear tree. With all this, and so much more, is it any wonder that everyone involved probably needed a nice long vacation when it was all said and done?
One issue that was present from the start, as related in interviews by writer Greg Rucka, is that New Krypton was very much behind schedule right from inception. Playing catch-up was always a present concern for all creators, who all want to do their best, but are facing a super deadline looming before them.
Because of this rushed nature of the series, and despite the promotional push from DC Comics, fans seemed slightly jaded before New Krypton even began. I myself got every issue, but only read them all last month. Because of this malaise, I firmly believe sales of the entire storyline were far below expectations, which is most likely why virtually all aspects of it were promptly ignored as soon as it ended. And this failure was also the most probable reason why the major surgery was committed on Superman’s history with The New 52 Relaunch. Think about it, this massive sweeping tale of epic proportions with far reaching ramifications vanishes from continuity a year later? Such a shame.
Everyone has a favourite Superman. Mine is the From Crisis To Crisis era. This storyline, with a nip and tuck and a bit of mental rewiring, can still fit somewhat gently into that beloved version of the Man of Steel. Yes, some leaps are harder to take than others, and I am looking at you Lucy Lane, but so many of the basic concepts are still present and accounted for.
So many thoughts and ideas are expressed here. The Clark Kent of Ma and Pa Kent faces off against the Kal-El of Krypton, nature versus nurture on a planetary scale. Earth and New Krypton on a collision course caused by madmen, people who know nothing of what Superman stands for. All this encompassing something like 150 comics in total.
A Super tale for a Superman.
And I thoroughly enjoyed it.
And I think I was one of the few who did.
And that is a complete shame.
Superman New Krypton is a storyline that takes place over almost two years worth of Superman, Action Comics, Supergirl, Superboy, World of New Krypton, Adventure Comics and various one shots and mini-series. One of the slight modifications after Infinite Crisis to the mythos was opening the floodgates to plenty of other Kryptonians being alive and well, and this concept became a tidal wave when Superman faced off against Brainiac for the “first” time and freed the kidnapped bottled city of Kandor.
In all classic and neo-modern versions of this tale, these fellow Kryptonians become jolly good friends of Superman and benevolent helpers to him. Those stores would always bore me to tears. Even when they enlarged and got their own planet, I couldn’t have cared less.
This time, this contemporary version, they range from arrogant to somewhat ungrateful to outright hostile to all sorts inbetween. It is made abundantly clear that one of the points of New Krypton is that a great part of makes Superman “Super” is the parentage of Ma and the now late Pa Kent. Early on the now powered up Kandorians relish “their” new planet, and view the current inhabitants, namely us humans, as like pets. The part with the whale illustrates this dichotomy so precisely, it is downright prescient of what future troubles are brewing.
Tensions immediately escalate when Lois’s presumed dead father, General Lane, enacts Project 7734, with the goal of fulfilling his genocidal hatred of all things Superman. Plots within plots within plots, each met with large body counts, becomes the constant theme here. Anyone and anything that gets in the way of eliminating these filthy aliens must be abolished. The massacres the Kandorians have to endure, and their counter measures to ensure their safety, cause global tensions and bring about a huge cadre of superheroes to sort the situation out.
At this point the preamble is done, the Kandorians see the welcome mat yanked away, which makes them launch their city off into space, create a crystalline planet for themselves, and take up orbit on the far side of the sun. Goodbye you crazy humans!
At this point, Kal is still trying to fix all the myriad problems that have come about here, and so with a heavy heart he talks to wife Lois and mother Martha and goes off to outer space and New Krypton.
The stage is set and the players are now in place.
Kal-El is now world building, society changing and evil plot solving in the World of New Krypton comic by James Robinson, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods. Guest stars like Green Lantern, Adam Strange and Jemm pop up here because of the new galactic power this planet represents. We also see the creators reinvent Krypton by incorporating as many different previous versions as possible, and somehow keeping internal logic. Kal learning about how things work here does not make him a happy Superman, and brings out the social revolutionary in him.
Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, new protectors have emerged in the Superman comic, by James Robinson and Renato Geudes. Through a series of flukes, Mon-El has been plucked from the Phantom Zone and managed to be cured, while another clone of the golden age hero The Guardian has come to town. These two bring truth and justice and subplots galore here every month.
But what of all the subterfuge between the two planets? Action Comics by Greg Rucka and various artists plays with this concept by showcasing the hunt for Kryptonian infiltrators by Nightwing and Flamebird. This crime fighting duo, and potential couple, are also Kryptonians and fighting against the evil General Zod’s plans for Earth.
The tale of someone genuinely torn between the two worlds is in the Supergirl comic, by Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. Whether she is on New Krypton endlessly arguing with her mother – and leader of Kandor, or learning about humanity while living with Lana Lang back on Earth, Supergirl is constantly challenged. She is also subjected to relentless yellow journalism by Daily Planet gossip hound Cat Grant, trying on the secret identity of Linda Lang, and recovering from Kryptonite poisoning, which by the way, is a brilliant pot device to fix the many many problems plaguing the character over the years. Supergirl 43 is the absolute best of this series, featuring her birthday and choosing a guild.
Joining in on the fun is Adventure Comics, by Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul. Starting with Superboy slowly becoming a part of everything, the series than evolves into telling the tale of how the time travelling Legion of Super Heroes are involved with this crisis.
Along the way with this sweeping storyline, we get some one shots giving us the journey of Jimmy Olsen as he investigates General Lane, and another one shot at a critical junction of everything. A personal favourite is the World’s Finest miniseries, by Sterling Gates and various artists, which has several very important plot developments. But the real reason this is a classic part of New Krypton is that these four issues have a literal whackload of Superman and Batman supporting characters teaming up, arguing, bantering, and just giving us readers a grand old adventure. Come on, Guardian and Robin Damian taking on Mr Freeze and the Parasite, what more can you ask for?
The only downside to this undertaking is the midway point. You can tell the gears behind the scenes were being shifted slightly, with some ideas, like Mon-El’s powers or what to do with Guardian’s “kid”, becoming increasing sidelined. By the time of the epic ending with The Last Stand of New Krypton comic, you can feel the lethargy kicking in. This is not to say the conclusion, which reaches its final crescendo with the War Of The Supermen mini-series, was not good and gripping and emotional, but it is obvious the fatigue from creating all those stories had taken it’s toll.
Afterall, besides everything I have mentioned, New Krypton also stars Lois Lane on a quest for the truth about her father, Perry White trying to guide her, Lex Luther being the master manipulator, Atlas being a brute, Steel helping out in Metropolis, the Creature Commandos making a comeback, Reactron being a ruthless murderer, Doomsday terrorizing everyone, Captain Atom playing a role, Daxam history getting re-explained, Codename: Assassin getting a dust-off, Silver Banshee giving a shout out, Insect Queen crawling about, Rao gaining new followers, and a partridge in a pear tree. With all this, and so much more, is it any wonder that everyone involved probably needed a nice long vacation when it was all said and done?
One issue that was present from the start, as related in interviews by writer Greg Rucka, is that New Krypton was very much behind schedule right from inception. Playing catch-up was always a present concern for all creators, who all want to do their best, but are facing a super deadline looming before them.
Because of this rushed nature of the series, and despite the promotional push from DC Comics, fans seemed slightly jaded before New Krypton even began. I myself got every issue, but only read them all last month. Because of this malaise, I firmly believe sales of the entire storyline were far below expectations, which is most likely why virtually all aspects of it were promptly ignored as soon as it ended. And this failure was also the most probable reason why the major surgery was committed on Superman’s history with The New 52 Relaunch. Think about it, this massive sweeping tale of epic proportions with far reaching ramifications vanishes from continuity a year later? Such a shame.
Everyone has a favourite Superman. Mine is the From Crisis To Crisis era. This storyline, with a nip and tuck and a bit of mental rewiring, can still fit somewhat gently into that beloved version of the Man of Steel. Yes, some leaps are harder to take than others, and I am looking at you Lucy Lane, but so many of the basic concepts are still present and accounted for.
So many thoughts and ideas are expressed here. The Clark Kent of Ma and Pa Kent faces off against the Kal-El of Krypton, nature versus nurture on a planetary scale. Earth and New Krypton on a collision course caused by madmen, people who know nothing of what Superman stands for. All this encompassing something like 150 comics in total.
A Super tale for a Superman.
August 25, 2025
Como quizás podría ser obvio, este compilado por si solo no es completamente accesible. Si no has leído por lo menos el Superman: Brainiac que es el que sienta las bases los últimos números que incluyo no son tan accesibles ya que ahí es que vemos todo lo referente a lo de Kandor.
Ahora como he mencionado en anteriores ocasiones, yo tengo interés en leer el trabajo que hizo James Robinson en el título y digamos que las partes mas interesantes (por lo menos para mi) vienen de parte de el en un par de one shots que continúan lo que había comenzado en Superman: The Coming of Atlas, el Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen Special #1 y el Adventure Comics Special Featuring The Guardian #1. En ellos vemos una investigación que está haciendo Jimmy Olsen sobre una figura que vio cuando Superman enfrentaba a Atlas. No voy a revelar demasiado para quien no lo haya leído, pero sus pesquisas lo llevan a reencontrarse con Guardian un héroe creado por Jack Kirby que fue importante para el relanzamiento que tuvo Superman a finales de los 80's y principios de los 90's. El segundo número incluso tiene un cameo (por así decirlo) de un Legionario que será mas importante cuando la historia introduzca a Mon-El pero que cuando lo leí originalmente la verdad es que no sabía tanto como se ahora. Obviamente me emocionó mas. Pero en realidad lo importante para la gran mayoría de las personas y por lo cual seguramente llegarían a este compilado es la historia de New Krypton. Se que no soy fan de Geoff, pero la verdad no disfruté tanto esos números. No me agrada la actitud de los kryptonianos y se que eso dará pie a todo lo que viene, pero en verdad los detesté. Ahora, el cliffhanger del último número, wow, WOW. Yo ya se quien es pero en su momento pensé que sería otra persona y me dejó impactado. Y ahora no recordaba que reaparecía tan pronto y en verdad me emocioné.
Ahora como he mencionado en anteriores ocasiones, yo tengo interés en leer el trabajo que hizo James Robinson en el título y digamos que las partes mas interesantes (por lo menos para mi) vienen de parte de el en un par de one shots que continúan lo que había comenzado en Superman: The Coming of Atlas, el Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen Special #1 y el Adventure Comics Special Featuring The Guardian #1. En ellos vemos una investigación que está haciendo Jimmy Olsen sobre una figura que vio cuando Superman enfrentaba a Atlas. No voy a revelar demasiado para quien no lo haya leído, pero sus pesquisas lo llevan a reencontrarse con Guardian un héroe creado por Jack Kirby que fue importante para el relanzamiento que tuvo Superman a finales de los 80's y principios de los 90's. El segundo número incluso tiene un cameo (por así decirlo) de un Legionario que será mas importante cuando la historia introduzca a Mon-El pero que cuando lo leí originalmente la verdad es que no sabía tanto como se ahora. Obviamente me emocionó mas. Pero en realidad lo importante para la gran mayoría de las personas y por lo cual seguramente llegarían a este compilado es la historia de New Krypton. Se que no soy fan de Geoff, pero la verdad no disfruté tanto esos números. No me agrada la actitud de los kryptonianos y se que eso dará pie a todo lo que viene, pero en verdad los detesté. Ahora, el cliffhanger del último número, wow, WOW. Yo ya se quien es pero en su momento pensé que sería otra persona y me dejó impactado. Y ahora no recordaba que reaparecía tan pronto y en verdad me emocioné.
April 5, 2018
It's okay. I liked the tension with Alura refusing hand over Kryptonian killers and not trusting the humans. I didn't care much for the big fight, which was corny - can anybody explain to me why, even in comic book logic, Zatanna saying "shazam" backwards would depower Kryptonians? - and the entire storyline felt very drawn out. The best chapters were James Robinson's Jimmy Olsen and Guardian specials, where he really got to dive into a solid mystery/noir vibe, and gave the book a feel of actual danger. The rest just felt like it was going through some motions, and the ensemble cast is overwhelming the book's hero. Solid but uninspired art throughout, and too many mysterious characters who never had any time to establish themselves pro or con.
+++++++++++++++
Start with a Jimmy Olsen Special and a Guardian Special by Robinson, both pretty entertaining. I'm disappointed in the slaughter of the original Newsboys and Dubbilex, as I love those old Kirby Olsen issues and all the Cadmus stuff the 90s Superman teams did (particularly Karl Kesel), but I can roll with it. Nice conspiracy stuff, engaging, fun. Solid art. Still not sure how Jimmy survived jumping his motorcycle off the Grand Canyon though!
The New Krypton Special opens with Pa Kent's touching funeral, has a solid Lois-Lucy Lane scene, some Krypton acclimating, the Sam Lane reveal - still a bit weird to see him as a villainous mastermind. He's never been a nice guy, but never ever a war-mongering xenophobe either.
One issue each of Superman and Action - the Krypton delegate was nicely done, as was Superman's meeting with the JLA. The Kryptonians slaughter Doomsday - fine, that seemed to be Doomsday's role for a while - the guy who's killed by the latest threat to show how serious it is. New Krypton, Imperiex, it happened both times. And we see a few Kryptonians dissatisfied with Earth. Solid start.
+++++++++++++++
Start with a Jimmy Olsen Special and a Guardian Special by Robinson, both pretty entertaining. I'm disappointed in the slaughter of the original Newsboys and Dubbilex, as I love those old Kirby Olsen issues and all the Cadmus stuff the 90s Superman teams did (particularly Karl Kesel), but I can roll with it. Nice conspiracy stuff, engaging, fun. Solid art. Still not sure how Jimmy survived jumping his motorcycle off the Grand Canyon though!
The New Krypton Special opens with Pa Kent's touching funeral, has a solid Lois-Lucy Lane scene, some Krypton acclimating, the Sam Lane reveal - still a bit weird to see him as a villainous mastermind. He's never been a nice guy, but never ever a war-mongering xenophobe either.
One issue each of Superman and Action - the Krypton delegate was nicely done, as was Superman's meeting with the JLA. The Kryptonians slaughter Doomsday - fine, that seemed to be Doomsday's role for a while - the guy who's killed by the latest threat to show how serious it is. New Krypton, Imperiex, it happened both times. And we see a few Kryptonians dissatisfied with Earth. Solid start.
May 11, 2023
Following on from 'Superman: Brainiac', this story sees the lost Kryptonian city of Kandor re-emerge in Earth's Arctic. Superman, initially overjoyed to see his long-lost people return, soon realises that problems between humanity and 100,000 super-powered Kryptonians are a terrible inevitability.
There's a huge amount of narrative potential in the premise of this Superman event storyline, with the tensions between Superman and those humans who fear his power multiplied to a mind-boggling degree, as well as having Superman and, to a lesser extent, Supergirl, now being the outsiders among other Kryptonians due to their connections with Earth and humanity. It's a powder keg both in terms of physical conflict and emotional turmoil.
It's therefore a terrible shame that about half of this book is spent on The Adventures of Jimmy Olsen, Ace Reporter.
In almost any other circumstance Jimmy's sidequest in search of clues to a plot to kill Superman would've actually made for compelling reading. Here, however, it just serves to delay the main event and doesn't even seem to feed into it in any great sense.
Also, can anyone really say that they like Jimmy Olsen (other than Superman, his best pal)? Really?
The final act of the book is really nice, however, where Superman, Supergirl and a delegation of Kryptonians team-up to beat the you-know-what out of Doomsday.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
There's a huge amount of narrative potential in the premise of this Superman event storyline, with the tensions between Superman and those humans who fear his power multiplied to a mind-boggling degree, as well as having Superman and, to a lesser extent, Supergirl, now being the outsiders among other Kryptonians due to their connections with Earth and humanity. It's a powder keg both in terms of physical conflict and emotional turmoil.
It's therefore a terrible shame that about half of this book is spent on The Adventures of Jimmy Olsen, Ace Reporter.
In almost any other circumstance Jimmy's sidequest in search of clues to a plot to kill Superman would've actually made for compelling reading. Here, however, it just serves to delay the main event and doesn't even seem to feed into it in any great sense.
Also, can anyone really say that they like Jimmy Olsen (other than Superman, his best pal)? Really?
The final act of the book is really nice, however, where Superman, Supergirl and a delegation of Kryptonians team-up to beat the you-know-what out of Doomsday.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
September 26, 2023
My name is Jimmy Olsen and today is the day that I die... for thirty seconds. Oh, yeah and the main plot.
There are essentially two stories here: Jimmy investigating Cadmus while being chased by a psychic assassin and Superman dealing with the coming of New Krypton directly out of the Brainiac story. The first was interesting, but hardly relevant, while the second was spectacular.
Jimmy's story very much fell into a street-level Sci-Fi conspiracy thriller in hopes of making him a more serious character, which worked in one sense. There were certainly some fun set pieces and character moments. Without Superman the stakes felt far more real. Jimmy has grown up and begins following a trail that leads him to a classic character who returns to Metropolis. I'm assuming said character will be important, otherwise I'm not sure why they included this story.
The second half is what we are really here for. There are thousands of Kryptonians on Earth now and not all of them are wanting to play nice. Superman has to play diplomat with earth and his own people who each view him as foreign, plus he's still mourning the loss of his dad. Meanwhile Supergirl is reunited with her family who are trying to figure out how New Krypton can thrive. While mostly build-up for the next volume, this was still very good storytelling.
In short, an extended prologue whose usefulness is yet to be determined and a very good first chapter into a larger saga where Superman will be tested emotionally and physically.
There are essentially two stories here: Jimmy investigating Cadmus while being chased by a psychic assassin and Superman dealing with the coming of New Krypton directly out of the Brainiac story. The first was interesting, but hardly relevant, while the second was spectacular.
Jimmy's story very much fell into a street-level Sci-Fi conspiracy thriller in hopes of making him a more serious character, which worked in one sense. There were certainly some fun set pieces and character moments. Without Superman the stakes felt far more real. Jimmy has grown up and begins following a trail that leads him to a classic character who returns to Metropolis. I'm assuming said character will be important, otherwise I'm not sure why they included this story.
The second half is what we are really here for. There are thousands of Kryptonians on Earth now and not all of them are wanting to play nice. Superman has to play diplomat with earth and his own people who each view him as foreign, plus he's still mourning the loss of his dad. Meanwhile Supergirl is reunited with her family who are trying to figure out how New Krypton can thrive. While mostly build-up for the next volume, this was still very good storytelling.
In short, an extended prologue whose usefulness is yet to be determined and a very good first chapter into a larger saga where Superman will be tested emotionally and physically.
July 23, 2025
This was somewhat disappointing based on the Brainiac story that preceded it. Here, thousands of Kryptonians are now on Earth but we don't get much of that. Instead we get a huge chunk of Jimmy researching Cadmus, Guardian, and Codename: Assassin that no one asked for. It was a painful read. When we get to the actual story it is better but still lackluster. The pacing is odd as things are just thrown around with no set up or way too much set up. The funeral scene and the scenes with Ma Kent were moving and I enjoyed seeing Perry lead and Clark's hesitance at the Kandorians listening to him. The art was also hit or miss. Overall, this was a below average set up to what I hope is a better story.
June 23, 2017
This first volume of the last pre new 52 superman event is fun but has some issues. Jimmy Olsen and Guardian specials are decent stories but but they do not work as well at the very beginning of this story. Also I found myself still at a loss over who Guardian is by the end of his special. Perhaps, it's that I never heard of him before these issues, but I feel I needed more context of what he is in the Superman mythos. Everything else in this book is great. A strong concept and execution leads to a good read. Guardian aside, You will want to at least know a few things going in. Even still I think for any Superman fan this is a good read.
October 24, 2017
Wow.
So...we covered a lot of ground in this chapter.
Not sure if they gave me enough of each new topic.
The Lex Luthor part is very well done..One of the best Luthor rants.
Supergirl seems less..I don't know just less. I thought we were going to see a much more impactful Supergirl. Maybe I have been reading the signs wrong. [Red Lanterns level anger]
The other Kryptonians are still shadows in the background..but a story done well.
So...we covered a lot of ground in this chapter.
Not sure if they gave me enough of each new topic.
The Lex Luthor part is very well done..One of the best Luthor rants.
Supergirl seems less..I don't know just less. I thought we were going to see a much more impactful Supergirl. Maybe I have been reading the signs wrong. [Red Lanterns level anger]
The other Kryptonians are still shadows in the background..but a story done well.
March 1, 2024
This book is a lot of setup with little to no payoff. I didn't mind the writing/slow burn of it all, but it's definitely not a full story. I will say I enjoyed the Jimmy Olsen story somewhat, I miss old superhero stories having good supporting cast members. Lois, Jimmy, and Perry were all really great cast members in the Superman mythos and I miss seeing them more in the books. Overall, this was a fun setup, hoping to see more in the next couple of volumes.
May 22, 2023
This kind of is all over the place. I don’t know if I wanna know where the story is going. I loved the prologue with Clark dealing with Jonathan’s death. But everything else is just . . . I don’t know. It just doesn’t work
January 11, 2024
Full of cinematic scenes right from the begging, three-dimesional characters, great art that leaps off the page, full of plot twists you won't see comming with all the changing events and epic world building! :D
July 11, 2024
An incredibly boring first story that is followed by an interesting few issues that are clearly laying the groundwork for a much larger story - that doesn't happen in this novel. A bit of a let down unfortunately!
January 28, 2018
What are the powers and abilities of Commander Gor?
December 22, 2019
An interesting beginning to what could be an epic tale of epicness.
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