In this review of Superman #33, Lex and Etrigan battle for the Heart of Apokolips, exploring the importance of the soul, on the road to the next round.
SUPERMAN #33
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art and Main Cover: HAYDEN SHERMAN
Variant Covers: KYUYONG EOM, SEBA FIUMARA, DAVID AJA, TULA LOTAY, JORGE FORNÉS
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 12/24/25
This review contains spoilers
Superman #33 kicks off Round Seven of All Fight Month for DC K.O. with Lex Luthor and Etrigan the Demon squaring off. There’s a lot of inner monologue from Lex questioning whether or not he still has a soul. Lex quickly loses the first battle, but it turns out that was by his design. He chooses his Mother Box armor for the second round and uses it to Boom Tube Etrigan’s head off, securing the second match victory. The Hearth of Apokolips sends them to the Underworld for the third battle and the Demon thinks he has the upper hand, but Lex uses runes that were carved into his skin to cast a spell that allows him to be possessed by the Demon, freeing Jason Blood of the curse. He slashes Jason’s throat and then battles with Etrigan. Lex releases his inner darkness and destroys the Demon, claiming the second KO needed to move on to the next round of the tournament.
The fight is intercut with the side story of Lois and Superboy Prime getting the Kryptonian archive information uploaded to Robot Superman. Once it’s ready, they have two hours to get it Time Trapper because the files are too large for the robot to hold longer than that. This plan was started in Superman #32 and looks to be a major story feature.
After Lex has won, Grodd telepathically communicates with him, informing Lex that they’ve been betrayed, but he never gets a chance to tell Lex who has done this before the issue ends. Darkseid, in the form of Booster Gold, continues to battle with Time Trapper, not realizing that Lois, Prime, and Robot Superman are on the way with information to defeat him.
Analysis
Joshua Williamson has written one of the best rounds out of the eight in this level of the tournament with Superman #33. While this is a Superman title, it’s all about Lex and his desire to win at all costs. He doesn’t care about having a soul; all that matters to him is controlling the game. This lack of concern coupled with his intelligence makes him one of the toughest remaining combatants in the tournament. Williamson does a great job of pulling in bits and pieces of Lex’s prior battles with Superman as a means to form him into what we’re seeing on these pages – a truly ruthless fighter. I like when there is some connective tissue to previous work, as it helps to create a stronger overall book.
The artwork in Superman #33 by Hayden Sherman is quite distinctive. His characters are drawn in a more angular fashion. It’s a departure from recent issues in which Dan Mora or Eddy Barrows used a more true-to-life style, but it works for this fight. There are several two-page spreads throughout the issue that help to showcase the action. While some of the panel layouts were tricky to follow, I found them to be visually appealing and fun to read. The colors from Alejandro Sanchez are more on the muted side, although the flames and fire are bright and filled with warmth.
One of my favorite pages of Superman #33 comes as the third battle begins and Etrigan sees Lex walking out of the flames in the Underworld. The arrangement of the panels is surrounded by more intricate than usual borders reminiscent of ancient scrolls and runes, which is fitting for what’s happening in the fight at that time. The whole page has a flow and balance that helps to deliver the power that Lex has in the moment.
Final Thoughts
Superman #33 is a good combination of a story that explores Lex’s character and eye-catching artwork that is fun to look at. One thing’s for sure – Lex is going to be a handful in the next round. Have fun, comic lovers!
