In this issue of Superman Unlimited #2, Superman’s new powers come in handy, but can he handle their limitations while also keeping them a secret?
SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #2
Written by: Dan Slott
Artist and Main Cover: Rafael Albuquerque
Variant Covers: Tony S. Daniel, Leinil Francis Yu, Steve Beach, Christian Ward, Ashley Wood
Page Count: 22 pages
Release Date: June 18, 2025
This Review Contains Spoilers
Superman Unlimited #2 begins in El Cadero, as the unveiling of a Kryptonite Daily Planet sculpture is interrupted by thieves who try to steal it, but El Cadero’s own Krypto-Knights stop them. Back in Metropolis, Jack Ryder attempts to have a farmer who owns a goat with two heads on his show to talk about the dangers of Kryptonite, but he is interrupted by fact-checking by Clark Kent, which makes him angry enough that he has to let Creeper free.
During an attempted robbery, Superman uses his new powers to stop himself from being injured by Kryptonite bullets. He can only activate the power for 200 seconds, and then he temporarily loses all of his powers. He manages to stop the thieves and convince Knockout to turn herself in with them when he can’t fight her any longer, but his new weakness is recorded and broadcast after he flinches from a spitball from Creeper.
Later, Clark speaks to Jack, who is amazed that the price of Kryptonite is rising after his report on the dangers of the metal to people originally made it fall. Meanwhile as Superman Unlimited #2 comes to an end, President Castilho of El Cadero hires the Toyman to silence the voices claiming that Kryptonite is dangerous, so his country can maintain its wealth.
Analysis
First, Superman Unlimited #2‘s artwork. It’s genuinely enjoyable—interesting lighting, cool angles during fights, and plenty of motion. The expression on each character is incredibly detailed, though it comes with the flip side of an awkward-looking face now and again. The backgrounds switch back and forth between detailed locations and colors, but it feels like each one was meticulously chosen for the moment, providing the perfect image to highlight the characters’ actions.
Last issue was all about surprising the reader with a world that’s run on kryptonite, while Superman Unlimited #2 is about making this new world feel real by introducing the new normal, and it does a good job! Admittedly, the villains who storm the statue unveiling and those committing the robbery feel a little cheesy and clichéd, as though they were placed there only to introduce us to new plot elements, but they do their job well.
The villains who try to steal the statue in El Cadero introduce the reader to both the new empire and its defense force: the Krypto-Knights. The ones who attempt the robbery in Metropolis provide a perfect opportunity for the reader to be introduced to Superman’s new powers and how they work.
Jack Ryder and Creeper were surprising stand-outs. Seeing the moments where Creeper started to peek through during Jack’s broadcast made it clear that Jack’s control was slipping even before he heard Creeper in his head. Seeing the two have conversations with each other while in the same body was also interesting, with Creeper being able to hear Jack even when he can’t speak through their mouth. It’s a cool moment, but it did take a second or two before I figured out what was going on.
Although Creeper brings some fun moments to this comic, the story also detracts from one of his moments. Creeper is the first outside of the Justice League hideout to figure out how Superman’s new power works and seeks to prove it to Jack by shooting a piece of his sandwich through his straw at Superman. It works, but immediately, a streamer broadcasting on her phone notices and points it out to her followers.
This shifts from Creeper’s clever moment of figuring out something Superman was trying hard to keep a secret to a random passerby being able to reveal it to the world. The suspense of Superman keeping the secret of the time limit and the immediate weakness that follows using the power, information that the reader only obtained a few pages ago, is already gone.
It will automatically be assumed that anyone Superman fights knows about the weakness of his new power, thereby eliminating the concern in each battle that someone may figure it out. While the idea of Superman being forced to change his strategy is interesting, it would have been even more impactful if a villain had discovered it during battle or had observed him fighting someone else and pieced it together.
Final Thoughts
Superman Unlimited #2 combines artwork and character interaction to establish Superman’s new normal. But it reveals the secret behind his power too early, undermining a compelling character and ruining future opportunities for suspense.
