In this review of Adventures of Superman: Book of El #12, Superman and the House of El face off against Kryl-Ux for the final time. Can they save Kryl from his madness?
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: BOOK OF EL #12
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art and Main Cover: SCOTT GODLEWSKI
Variant Covers: LUCIO PARRILLO, KYUYONG EOM
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 9/30/26
This review contains spoilers
As Adventures of Superman: Book of El #12 opens, Superman and the House of El continue their battle against Kryl-Ux after he gained even more power at the end of Adventures of Superman: The Book of El #11. Kryl-Ux, along with the god aspects of Olgrun, is now encased in a massive blue energy field while he uses his powers to open a black hole.
Pyrrhos is able to briefly penetrate the energy field with the help of his magic. With the energy field weakened, everyone strikes at once, removing the god aspects while Superman battles Kryl. After the Promethean King accepts defeat, he flies to the black hole to escape and Superman tries to save him, but the two are transported to Kryl’s version of New Phaelosia.
Once there, Kryl reveals that, for a moment, he was Olgrun and was able to witness all timelines. In doing so, he realized that the House of El was always present to safeguard the powers of Olgrun. He also realized that he was wrong and wants to do good in this new world.
Clark, Otho, and Osul return home to enjoy some family time, but a short while later, Pyrrhos and Kara arrive at the Kent farm, asking if the twins can come with them on a quest. Of course, Clark lets them go.
Adventures of Superman: Book of El #12 concludes with a quick glimpse at the results of Superman’s victory over Kryl-Ux, showing the sigil of the House of El as a beacon of hope for all who are oppressed throughout the universe.
Analysis
Philip Kennedy Johnson’s saga that started more than a year ago comes to an end with a distinct focus on the importance of family and sticking to values such as truth, humility, and compassion. This has been a theme throughout the series, but it’s made crystal clear in the finale.
When Superman asks why the children were sent with him to this time, Kryl explains how Superman alone could not have stopped him, highlighting how essential the united family is to the story. Even as powerful as Clark is, he could only have won with the help of his loved ones.
This strong message is what makes this series a memorable one. While some of us may not have a strong family unit, we should be open to looking at those who are close to us in times of need. PKJ wants us to realize that even when we think we’re okay on our own, we can be so much stronger when we help each other.
Another character with an important role in this last issue is Pyrrhos. He’s responsible for giving the team the upper hand in the fight against Kryl, but more importantly, toward the end of the story, Clark invites Pyrrhos to stay with the family on the Kent farm. He is Superman’s son, after all, and even though he was the “bad guy” for a while, this doesn’t stop Clark from forgiving him and accepting him into the family.
You might think Adventures of Superman: Book of El #12 is all about dialog and emotions, but there’s plenty of exciting action in the first half when the battle against Kryl-Ux is taking place. I do wish the fight had lasted a little longer, but there’s only so much you can fit into a standard-length comic and there was a lot to wrap up in the second half, so I understand the need to keep the action tight.
Scott Godlewski, who has been the artist for almost every issue of the run, turns in another magnificent effort in Adventures of Superman: Book of El #12. The linework and character details are gorgeous. The final battle against Kryl-Ux is full of energy and gives a great sense of the scale of Kryl’s Olgrun form. Colorists Alex Guimaraes and Matt Herms use plenty of contrasting colors to make the action stand out on each panel. My favorite page is the final-page reveal, with the spread just before it a close second. Those three pages capture the essence of the whole series and make for a fitting way to close it out.
Final Thoughts
Adventures of Superman: Book of El #12 wraps up a year-long tale of the importance of family in exciting and emotional fashion. If you’re looking for a good story featuring a range of characters and plenty of action, this one should be in your pile of comics to read. Have fun, comic lovers!
