Superman: Space Age (2022) #3

Superman: Space Age #3

by Mark Russell, Mike Allred (Illustrator), Laura Allred (Cover Artist)

The end is nigh! As red skies reign, Superman does what he can to make the world a better place for as long as it continues to exist. But money is power in the greed-driven decade of the ’80s, and villains like Lex Luthor seem poised to win in the end. Little do they know, there are bigger things to worry about and the hero they’ve grown to hate is their only hope against this crisis! Don’t miss the thrilling finale of this soon-to-be classic miniseries!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superman

82 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 21, 2023

About the author

Mark Russell is the author of God Is Disappointed in You and Apocrypha Now. He also writes the comic book series Prez and The Flintstones for DC Comics. He lives and works in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series was absolutely incredible!!

[Murphy C · Rating 5 out of 5]

6/26/24

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read as stand alone issues, which were very good by themselves. Gave them 4 stars. But as a whole series, hard not to bump it up and give very close to 5 stars. One of the better Superman stories that has been released in the last few years. Perfect mix of something new in the vintage ethos & maintained grounded characters.

[Jus · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were so much tears.

[Cybernex007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of the DC Comics Official Discord Book Club, I read this issue and answered these questions:

1. The world-ending Crisis finally arrives in this issue. How do the characters respond, especially Superman, Batman, and Lois? In what ways do their actions reflect their core values, and were any of their responses surprising to you?

With the world-ending crisis finally here, all of the characters in the Justice League respond exactly how they always intended to…fighting until the very end even if there is nothing they can do to stop it. But here are a few other characters that are highlighted a bit more and their actions are shown to be driven by their core values. First off, superman fully accepts the end is coming and even that is not okay…it doesn’t have to be. This leads him to accept the part of him that embraces love and his love for the world and its people, and to instead devote his time to try and save as many people as possible even if it means that he doesn’t survive and there is a lower certainty that his plan doesn’t even work. Ultimately it does work and he is able to transfer billions to another world with a superman and his dead planet to rebuild…but the point stands that our Superman died on his world without knowing it would work or not which just continues to encompass everything that superman stands for.

Leading into that same thought process, Batman went down a very familiar path as superman that can be summarized when he says: "It's not humanity that matters...it's the people." Bruce Wayne ends up going against the Joker in this issue, who kidnapped the children of the Wayne board in order to manipulate them. This ended up in a showdown directly between Bruce and the Joker where the Joker was fully planning on walking out dressed as Bruce, and without releasing the children, just to continue to hold it over their heads and threaten them with it. Instead Bruce took the option to put on a clown mask himself and tackle the disguised Joker into the line of fire from police snipers. In the process taking as many bullets as Joker and dying alongside him. Just like superman he sacrificed himself for the greater good, while continuing to follow his core values of making sure to deny the villain whatever they wanted any means necessary.

Finally, Lois was the most surprising to me. Although we do not see a whole lot of her in this issue, In the face of Lex getting released from prison we almost see her loose faith in the world. She has seen everything changed in front of her and doesn’t recognize it anymore, and doesn’t see how others can’t see how much they rely on each other to survive. But in typical Lois fashion we see as she puts her faith in her family and in Clark and sticks with him until the very end.

2. Superman repeatedly emphasizes hope, even in the face of total destruction. Do you think hope is a strength or a flaw in this story? How does this version of Superman redefine what it means to be a symbol of hope?

Hope is a definitive strength in this story, every piece of the crisis or even the forces working against the crisis, such as Pariah and Brainiac, see hope as a flaw. The end is coming and there is nothing you can do to stop it other than accept it along with the other worlds or pull what resources matter to try and fight back. None of these forces act on hope, only what is. But with Superman we see him truly act on hope through uncertainty. He does accept that his world will die, but he also presents an opportunity to save the people of this world even though he will never truly know that it was successful.


3. How do Batman and the rest of the Justice League contribute to the resolution? Are they used effectively in the story's conclusion, or does it ultimately feel like Superman’s journey alone?

I feel as though both Batman and the Justice League are effectively used to contribute to the resolution just as Superman is. As Superman points out, and as I discussed in question 1, all of these characters represent the same unrelenting hope and fight until the bitter end even if they know that their actions will not result in an ultimate victory. As discussed in question 1 Batman serves as a direct parallel to Superman’s actions, and provides another situation where a character sacrifices themselves to protect other people without knowing if their sacrifice will be in vain. Overall, with the inclusion of all these characters it shows that Superman is not and never will be alone and even if his results are a bit more tangible…he is still the same as the other heroes fighting in the world in the knowledge that they will never know if they will continue to survive.


4. With massive cosmic forces at play, what do you think this issue is trying to say about humanity’s role in the universe? Are we powerless in the face of cosmic inevitability, or is there something meaningful about how we choose to act anyway?

Funny enough I think that Lex’s words in this issue actually answer this question. Even in the face of cosmic forces that see and treat us as ants to be stripped of resources without any pushback…we still ultimately survive, or as Lex would put it…we win. In the face of that adversity the one thing that we can do to truly beat those cosmic forces…is to live. Which ultimately shows that we are not powerless in the face of inevitability, although it may take sacrifice and survival may be completely different depending on who you ask…it still has meaning that humanity and its people continue to live on.


5. Now that the story has concluded, how do you feel about Superman: Space Age as a whole? Did this alternate-history, philosophical take on Superman deepen your appreciation of the character? What will stick with you the most?

Overall I really enjoyed this story, and especially by answering these thought-provoking questions it has helped me to deepen my appreciation for what hope in the face of inevitability truly means. Aside from that, I do think the thing that stuck with me the most was Batman’s side storyline that encompassed the entire series. Going from someone who wanted no place in the business world…only to see the direct consequences of greed as he worked to take his place back to make change again. ONLY to have the effects of that greed come back to haunt him again through Joker, pushing him to finally make the ultimate sacrifice of his own life to protect others.

[Olivia Plasencia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this at a comic shop for two bucks and decided to try it, I am not really a fan of much of the writing for Superman since like 2000. But for two bucks, I decided to try it. First off, I am not sure why the title is Superman, when so much of the story, like half, is about Batman. Not only that but the rest of the Justice League have a bit going on as well. Since I read this as a stand-alone I was a tad lost but not for long. A great read, but the part with Batman and the Joker annoyed me because I am so over the Joker, he is OP, overpowered, to like the tenth degree, and his violence is something I have hated since Alan Moore's train wreck The Last Joke, which I hate with a passion.

Even still seeing Superman turn his physical strengths off to use his brain was interesting but also a little against type for DC since Batman is supposed to be the one that solves everything. That struck me as a little off, but I enjoyed Kal-El doing something with his mind rather than his muscle. I hope to find the rest, but I won't be hitting e-bay or anything.

[Logan · Rating 2 out of 5]

If your comics concept is supposed to represent the space age - like the last two issues did - WHY ARE YOU NOT DOING SPACE AGE THINGS?!?!

This final issue is actually fairly good. The ending with the end of the world and everyone dying is amazing. Something I don’t think I’ve read in any other comic before. It’s a heart tugger and very emotional. Superman finds a way to save the memory of him and everyone on Earth, but could not save the lives of anyone. Bruce Wayne ends up dying in a brawl with the police and Joker. Leaving Wayne Enterprises for Lexcorp.

I thought much of Batman’s story within this final issue was a waste of time. As much as I loved it in the last two, it’s because it was related to things actually involved with the story.

It’s sad I have to rate this series so low but it should have been related to ‘the End of the World.’ Don’t act like you’re going to involve event from the 60’s to 80’s when you’re not.

[Sean Lassiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope is the lie we make come true. That’s the thesis of this Superman run. Mark, Michael, and Laura weave a beautiful Superman story that I think will stand amongst the very best of his tales like All Star Superman, and Superman for All Seasons.

In this story, for twenty years Clark has known that his universe was fading away, and for twenty years he did what he could to prepare for it. Eventually, he knew he couldn’t stop it, so he eradicated every disease that had plagued or would ever plague humanity. Then, he did the next best thing he could do, and that was save everyone he could. He made a backup for each person, and with Braniac’s help, sent them to another universe where he presumed that Clark had lost everyone. Because of this, Superman did the most heroic thing he could do, and he gave someone else hope for tomorrow. That is the essence of Superman.

[Issac Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished the 'Superman: Space Age' three issue series. It was pretty good, great writing and Alldred is a masterful artist but I have a lot of questions about this whole fortress of solitude situation especially once Supe brings Lois there to raise their kid.

1. Once you bring a babe there doesn’t it immediately annul its whole ‘Fortress of Solitude’ status? Wouldn’t it turn into something like ‘The Bang-cicle’ or the ‘The North Pole Dance?’ No self respecting intelligent babe is gonna wanna live in a spot called the fortress of &$@#& solitude. She’s changing that name with the trademark office with a quickness. It’s probably going to become ‘The Palace of Communication’ or ‘The Armory of Saying Sorry and Meaning It’.

Those pertinent questions and more at:
https://standupcomicreader.blogspot.c...

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is as good as the first two. I liked the Kryptonian physics about time being another geographical dimension so there are no beginnings or endings, so death is not an ending. It is simply something not being where we currently are. In Krypton Physics, time is simply a dimension, and we just can't handle the fourth dimension except by experiencing it chronologically, so for us - since we can't go back and forth in time (because we can't handle it) death appears to be an ending, but actually it is just being in a different geographic space where the other person (the dead person) is not.

This thought was put out there because something very sad happens in this comic book, but I cannot say what it is, because then I would have to check "Hide entire review because of spoilers".

[RunningRed NightBringer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, the ending left me a bit disappointed. The charters underwhelmed. Do the creators even like the Justice League? If it was an attempt to look at a point in history, view super-heroes from another angle, possibly make a point...it failed. I felt mostly annoyed. I might give it another re-read down the line, decide if it's a keeper or Sell pile, but my recommendation would be to skip and get Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier.

[Nicolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of how Superman saved everyone. And yes, this story is canon.

The Black Label imprint may afford authors the freedom to create stories of DC comics character that doesn't have to hew to continuity. However, Superman: Space Age connects to lore that spans the entirety of the DC library.

The secret is to tie it to Crisis On Infinite Earths. Instant canon.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just one of those very bittersweet poetic kind of stories that tells you that other people could really step up and write Superman better.
And that if they aren't giving him an internal monologue at all that's a choice but it's the wrong choice.

[Felipe Sarmiento · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic ending! Thanks, Superman!

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little confusing, but an enjoyable read overall.

[Gerry Sacco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just can't fully get behind this art. But, the story is really good! Worth the read for sure.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75