In this review of Adventures of Superman: Book of El #6, Kryl-Ux becomes stronger, Superman becomes weaker, and Otho is about to have to save the Man of Steel.
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: BOOK OF EL #6
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art and Main Cover: SCOTT GODLEWSKI
Variant Covers: WILL CONRAD, LUCIO PARRILLO, MEGAN HUANG
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 2/11/26
This review contains spoilers
After the battle with Thularamm in Book of El #5, a near-unconscious Superman floats in the remnants of Lanternholm as Adventures of Superman: Book of El #6 begins. Just as Thularamm is about to move in to finish off the Man of Steel, the Valkyries of the Warworld Engines arrive and the Sun-Eater flees. The Valkyries bring Superman back to the Warworld Engines to have him looked at.
Meanwhile, Kryl-Ux seeks out another of Olgrun’s God-Aspect, Olgrun’s Madness, to incorporate into his own body. Upon locating the Aspect, he thrusts it into his chest, causing him to undergo further transformation as spikes grow across his body. Now in possession of two God-Aspects, Kryl grows stronger, but the end results are yet to be determined.
Back at the Warworld Engines, the Valkyries reunite Superman and Otho-Ra. He is barely able to speak to Otho due to the Sun-Eater’s Black Fire raging through him. In order to save him, Otho will have to race and defeat the Black Racer, a God of Death.
Analysis
Adventures of Superman: Book of El #6 has a little less action than Book of El #5, but there’s still plenty of highlights. Philip Kennedy Johnson has taken Superman out of the action, but Otho is ready to step up. She’s more than willing to fight whoever she has to in order to get back to her family. While we don’t get an appearance from Rowan or Ronan, I suspect they’ll catch up to us in a future issue.
PKJ is pushing Kryl-Ux further and further into madness in this issue. I guess Johnson wants to show us that Kryl will truly stop at nothing to gain the power to bring back his family because he doesn’t seem to care about what the Aspects will do to him.
Right now, I’m more impressed with Otho’s character. She’s a kid, but she’s tough. Otho has no fear and will take on any challenge, so I’m looking forward to the next issue when she has to beat the Black Racer. I’m not sure how she’ll do it, though, as this Black Racer seems to have Flash-like speed.
Artwork in Adventures of Superman: Book of El #6 remains solid. While there’s no particular page or panel that stands out, there’s nothing that’s weak, either. I like the perspectives that Scott Godlewski uses when drawing the Valkyries or Kryl flying through space. The last page with the appearance of the Black Racer is quite colorful, thanks to the work from Alex Guimaraes and Matt Herms. Their color choices throughout the issue kept my eyes engaged and the final panel with the Black Racer leads us into the next issue.
Final Thoughts
Adventures of Superman: Book of El #6 focuses more on character and story development. Kryl-Ux and Otho are the highlights, as Superman takes a back seat in the action. The next issue is a race to the death! Have fun, comic lovers!
