In this review of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4, Superman takes a wild trip to the Fifth Dimension and gets a new 5D familiar!
SUPERMAN: THE KRYPTONITE SPECTRUM #4
Written by W. MAXWELL PRINCE
Art and Main Cover: MARTÍN MORAZZO
Variant Covers: JUAN FERREYRA, MIKE CHOI
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 11/12/25
This review contains spoilers
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4 opens with three pages of Clark in the Fifth Dimension. This is quickly revealed by Batman, who is studying how to get Superman back. He’s not able to do it himself, so he’s put in a call to Doctor Fate. After Fate arrives and analyzes the situation, he indicates that Superman is in danger of dying if he’s not able to escape soon. Mr. Mxyzptlk gets to communicate with Clark about the danger he’s in, as well.
Meanwhile, Lex Luthor is busy concocting his next scheme to kill the Man of Steel. It involves multiple varieties of kryptonite, focusing mainly on those introduced in the previous issues. Lex has created Kryptonite Man, a Lex-clone of sorts, whose powers revolve around the effects of purple, cobalt, and speckled kryptonite.
Back in the Fifth Dimension, Mxy reveals the source of the trouble is a kid he calls Brian-iac who completely lacks imagination and is dead set on wiping out this plane of imagination. When Brian-iac comes for Superman and Mxy, he brings a gang of paper bag headed henchmen. Superman must fight them off, but the effects of the Fifth Dimension begin to take a toll. Doctor Fate sends Batman in to help Superman and he joins up with Bat-Mite, his 5D familiar. Together, they rescue Clark, convincing him that in order to save himself, he must create a 5D familiar of his own.
Just in time, Superman is able to tap into his imagination and create Kal-Elf. Unfortunately, it’s not enough and Brian-iac destroys the Fifth Dimension, leaving only himself and Superman remaining. Clark is able to convince Brian that imagination is fun, getting him to restore the Fifth Dimension and sending Batman and Superman back to reality. The only problem is that while Superman and Batman were gone, Lex showed up with the Kryptonite Man and a fleet of Bizarro Bots, waiting to destroy the Man of Steel.
Analysis
The overall story from W. Maxwell Prince is really taking shape now. What started out as mostly unrelated stories (other than they all included new kryptonite forms) has blossomed into a more cohesive story. In order for the Kryptonite Man and Lex’s plan to make sense, we had to have the introduction of the new forms of kryptonite in the first three issues. The seemingly disparate chunks of Superman’s former home are tied together in an unexpected way by Lex. This latest plan to kill Superman will prove to be an interesting test for the Man of Steel, who struggled to deal with the effects of each new kryptonite in isolated turns. Now that it looks like all of the varieties will be in play at once, Superman might need some help.
Prince’s approach to Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4 can be summed up in one word – wild. He changes up not only art styles, but at one point, turns the comic into a book with half a page dedicated to the story being told in writing just as you’d find in a regular novel. There are so many fun references throughout the story such as Perry White’s “Great Caesar’s Ghost!” getting transformed into “Emperor Julius’s August Apparition!”, a couple of references to John William’s Superman theme song, and even a callback to Linda the Spreadsheet Queen from Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #2. The first appearance of Kal-Elf is another great addition to the issue. I’m hoping he shows up in other titles at some point down the line.
As for the artwork, Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4 is the best issue of the series so far. Martin Morazzo gets to showcase various art styles and imaginative takes on the Fifth Dimension, while Chris O’Halloran has a blast with the coloring. One of my favorite pages is when Batman enters the Fifth Dimension and he’s drawn superimposed on a rainbow effect, but each band of color has him illustrated in a different style. It is a very cool effect.
Final Thoughts
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4 does a great job of bringing together the previous issues in a fun and creative way while leading into what promises to be an explosive finish to the story. Have fun, comic lovers!
