In this review of Adventures of Superman: The Book of El #9, the action intensifies with battles raging on Elysium and Tamaran. Plus, an old foe arrives to take on Superman.
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: BOOK OF EL #9
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art and Main Cover: SCOTT GODLEWSKI
Variant Covers: LUCIO PARRILLO, MARIO “FOX” FOCCILLO
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 6/3/26
This review contains spoilers
At the end of Adventures of Superman: The Book of El #8, the Superman robot was booting up with Brainiac-3 in control, but during the initialization, its core objectives were corrupted. Ronan and Rowan give it new ones, creating Brainiac-4.
Meanwhile, Pyrrhos is close to taking the Fire of Olgrun from Osul, but the Red Son activates the God-Aspect, forming a massive protective embodiment of Olgrun around himself. With that, he’s able to fight off Pyrrhos long enough for Ronan, Rowan, and Brainiac-4 to join the fight and stop the Red King. This doesn’t last long, though, as Pyrrhos is soon able to escape.
Superman and the Valkyries arrive at Tamaran in time to see the Warzoon invasion being led by Doukis. Clark soon discovers that these Warzoon are undead, though, and not as easy to destroy. Theand’r, having been entrusted with a God-Aspect of Olgrun, activates it to help fight off Doukis and the Warzoons.
As the battle rages on, Clark hears a familiar voice and turns to find an undead Mongul Who-Was. Superman’s old foe is holding an unconscious Otho up by her hair, bringing the issue to an end.
Analysis
Since the last issue, I was finally able to finish the Warworld Saga, so I’m now up to date on the backstory that led up to this one. I must say Philip Kennedy Johnson has done a great job of taking that Warworld storyline and carrying it over to Book of El. While the Future State part of the saga was relatively short (Future State: Superman – House of El #1, specifically), that’s being expanded upon now, as we get more details on the far-future super relatives.
The most exciting part of this issue, for me, comes at the very end with the return of Mongul. He’s got something of a Locutus of Borg look going on with half his face and torso covered in robotic parts. The upcoming battle between him and Superman should be epic.
In a story jam-packed with characters, PKJ does well with keeping them all balanced. He’s able to advance the story at a steady pace while keeping the energy and excitement levels high. There’s always something happening that requires your attention so you’re not lost later. There are fun action sequences, but, even during those, we get dialog and story details.
Scott Godlewski and Alex Guimaraes are back on this issue for art and color. My favorite pages are the ones where Osul and Theand’r activate their God-Aspects. Osul’s is blue and white while Theand’r’s is orange and yellow. The use of a wide range of colors makes each page visually appealing. I like Mongul’s undead design, but would have preferred to see something less technological and more organic for his resurrected appearance.
Final Thoughts
Adventures of Superman: The Book of El #9 is filled with action and excitement. The final showdown with Kryl-Ux is approaching, but Superman has to get through Mongul first! Have fun, comic lovers!
