In this review of Adventures of Superman: The Book of El #4, Ronan and Superman arrive at Lanternholm. What will they find there? Let’s find out.
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: BOOK OF EL #4
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art and cover by SCOTT GODLEWSKI
Variant covers by RAHZZAH, LUCIO PARRILLO, and SARAH BASLAIM
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 12/3/25
This review contains spoilers
Adventures of Superman: The Book of El #4 opens with Kryl-Ux in his Black Crystal Fortress of Desolation. He’s waiting to see if Superman will arrive at Lanternholm to take and bring the God-Aspect of Olgrun to him. Ronan and Clark approach Lanternholm, but before they arrive, they encounter Ronan’s sister, Rowan. She is the Shield of Lanternholm, protecting the people who live there. She’s capable of forming hard light constructs, similar to the powers of a Lantern, to attack Ronan and Superman. Ronan gets eaten by a giant green light creature, but Superman is able to calm it down. With Ronan free, he convinces his sister to let them into Lanternholm.
Once there, Superman tells Rowan that Kryl-Ux is coming for the God-Aspect of Olgrun, but she doesn’t believe him. She goes on to show Superman around Lanternholm, explaining that it was once part of Oa and it became a central part of the Lightborn civilization. We find out that the Oath Moon in the sky was constructed by Kryl-Ux, made from old Phaelosian warships, as a pledge to Rowan that he would never attack Lanternholm as long as Olgrun’s Will was kept safe there.
Shortly after this reveal, the Oath Moon transforms and unleashes Thularamm the Sun-Eater, who is meant to attack Superman if he does not bring the God-Aspect to Kryl-Ux, as instructed at the end of Book of El #3.
Analysis
Adventures of Superman: The Book of El #4 reads fast. There’s a good mix of action blended in with the storytelling and we get to find out good background information about Lanternholm. The focus here is not just on Superman, but several other characters and locations. Each little detail we get moves the story forward in a compelling way. I like that Phillip Kennedy Johnson is giving Rowan some Green Lantern-like powers as a protector of people who are descendants of Oa. Another interesting tidbit is what looks to be an old broken down Brainiac construct connected to Kryl-Ux’s Fortress. I’m not sure if this will come into play later in the story, but it was a cool feature in a couple of panels.
It’s not surprising that Kryl-Ux looks to essentially be going back on his promise that he wouldn’t attack Lanternholm, as Superman doesn’t immediately bring the God-Aspect of Olgrun to him. Kryl-Ux is so focused on bringing the Phaelosians back to life that he isn’t concerned about any other beings or pledges made. PKJ is building him up to be a tough test for Superman when the two eventually collide later in the series.
Scott Godlewski continues to give us some beautiful artwork with Adventures of Superman: The Book of El #4, while colorists Alex Guimaraes and Matt Herms give life to the drawings. The Shield of Lanternholm effects are some of the best in this issue, giving Rowan a shimmering armor look. The landscape of Lanternholm itself is filled with green hues. The final-page reveal of Thularamm contrasts nicely with those greens, as the Sun-Eater is colored in shades of red. The art in all of the issues remains consistently good.
Final Thoughts
Adventures of Superman: The Book of El #4 takes a lot of the focus off of Superman (don’t worry, there’s still plenty of him here) and gives us further insight into Kryl-Ux and Lanternholm. It’s a solid entry, bringing us a third of the way through this 12-issue run. Have fun, comic lovers!
