In this review of Superman Unlimited #1, will Superman survive after taking on a kryptonite asteroid?
SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #1
Written by: Dan Slott
Artist and Main Cover: Rafael Albuquerque
Variant Covers: Frank Quitely, Gabrielle Dell’otto, Leinil Francis Yu, Seba Fiumara, Sozomaika, Jim Lee
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: May 21, 2025
This Review Contains Spoilers
Superman Unlimited #1 begins in Metropolis, where in the middle of the announcement of the Daily Planet’s multimedia expansion, Clark Kent hears the sounds of gunfire and rushes out. As Superman, he stops a duo of intergang members being chased by police. He saves several others before a call comes in from the Justice League watchtower, warning of an asteroid heading towards Earth.
Superman destroys the asteroid’s outer layer, only to find it’s a giant rock of solid kryptonite. He’s determined to slow it down, but knows he will likely die doing so. As he does, his life flashes before his eyes from when he was sent away from Krypton to present-day moments with his family. He speaks a message to his son before the asteroid explodes.
Later, Clark wakes up and is told that he’s been asleep for three months. The Justice League explains that, while he was sleeping, El Caldeo became one of the wealthiest countries in the world because it began supplying kryptonite. Anyone can get their hands on it, and Conner and Kara have injuries that prove it.
Clark promises they’ll find a way to fix it, and Conner reveals that Clark now has a secret weapon that will help them, a new power that saved him when the Kryptonite should have poisoned, crushed, and atomized him.
Analysis
Superman Unlimited #1 is an excellent issue for newcomers to start with. It introduces the reader to the core elements of Superman while also giving a rundown of his history. Instead of trying to force his history in through exposition spoken by other characters or text boxes symbolizing an internal monologue, it’s intertwined with the story.
While it’s a good story element, it takes up most of Superman Unlimited #1. Superman has a long, rich history, but the entire montage brings the plot to a standstill. And, considering that it comes after he realizes that he’s likely going to die from the Kryptonite, the reader is left in suspense for a bit too long.
In turn, the exposition of how much the world relies on Superman is quick and concise. A few pages of Superman dealing with everything from catching robbers to saving a crashing plane also show his relationship with the civilians. One of the robbers he catches thanks him for rescuing a relative, and he quickly takes a break to praise a girl playing a new song of hers in a park.
The idea for this story is also intriguing: a world with weapons powerful enough to harm Superman in the hands of ordinary people. While Superman’s new kryptonite-resisting power is interesting, I hope it has some limit or condition to using it. Otherwise, its arrival doesn’t mean much for Superman in the grand scheme of things, only other heroes like Kara or Conner.
The art for Superman Unlimited #1 is a double-edged sword. Backgrounds and objects thrive, catching and reflecting light as they burst with color. Any moment where characters are standing in front of a full background or an object is focused on in the panel, it looks incredible.
The people, however, don’t quite work, particularly the faces. There’s an attempt at mixing rugged edges with softer, rounder expressions, and the faces often come out looking as though the proportions of the faces don’t know whether they’re supposed to be more realistic or more cartoony. They work well in certain angles throughout the issue, but those angles don’t come often enough to make up for the moments where characters look unnatural.
Final Thoughts
Superman Unlimited #1 has an intriguing plot, good character moments, and delivers exposition in a creative way, but the exposition slows the plot to a standstill, and the art doesn’t rise to the level of the story.
