In this review of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3, Superboy and Shazam team up for some fun in an amusement park while waiting on a cure from Batman.
SUPERMAN: THE KRYPTONITE SPECTRUM #3
Written by W. MAXWELL PRINCE
Art and Main Cover: MARTÍN MORAZZO
Variant Covers: JUAN FERREYRA, NIMIT MALAVIA
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 10/8/25
This review contains spoilers
After the events of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #2, Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3 finds Superman is dealing with life as Superboy while waiting on Batman to figure out how to get him back to adult form. Clark is hanging out in Billy Batson’s room, playing a board game with him and feeling a little down about the current situation. It seems like this age regression is drawing out his feelings about Krypton.
We get some discussion between Clark and Billy about their life growing up, their parents, and their hardships. Billy decides that they need to do something fun to break out of these doldrums. It just so happens that he got a flyer in the mail – on a Sunday – for an amusement park called Nostalgia Springs.
This is no regular amusement park. It is a collaboration between Lex Luthor, Dr. Sivana, and Toyman combining various booby traps meant to attack Shazam and Superman while in his “vulnerable” adolescent state. Upon arriving at Nostalgia Springs, Superboy and Shazam begin to question the fact that the place is empty and the presence of rides called the Black Atom and the Fandom Zone. As they quickly figure out they’re in a trap, the situation gets worse with the arrival of a group of Bizarro Bots. These bots don’t pose much of a threat, though, and the superpowered duo dispatches the automatons with ease.
While they’re fighting off the bots, Lois is busy trying to get Lex arrested for attacking Superman with a kryptonite rocket (* see issue 2). There’s a quick exchange between the two before the cops she hauled up to Lex’s office tell her it’s time to go. Meanwhile, Batman is back in the Batcave concocting a possible fix that will get Superman back to his normal self. Alfred makes mention that the Rainbow Kryptonite sitting out on Batman’s table is pretty. Bruce tells him that it’s not actually kryptonite, but a distress signal from a liminal universe.
Back at the amusement park, Superboy and Shazam get attacked by animatronics of the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. Once again, the traps are no match for the duo and they escape with little trouble, only to come face-to-face with Dr. Sivana and Toyman. This time, Toyman has brought a weapon equipped with green kryptonite and raw light mined from the Rock of Eternity to incapacitate the heroes.
Fortunately, Batman arrives to stun Dr. Sivana and Toyman. With the threat removed, he’s able to administer the cure to Superboy, returning him to full Superman status. Clark decides that the study of the new kryptonite types can be stopped now, leaving the Rainbow K for future investigation. Batman then shows Superman that the Rainbow K is actually a distress call from Mr. Mxyzptlk in the Fifth Dimension. Clark counts to five and is transported back to the Daily Planet holding a rainbow balloon, ending the issue.
Analysis
At first glance, this series comes across as just isolated looks at different effects that happen when Superman gets exposed to new kryptonite forms, but it’s much more than that. W. Maxwell Prince’s story continues to do a good job of looking at Superman’s overall character. Long-time fans of the Big Blue Boy Scout may be familiar with these aspects of him, but it’s still fun to have the traits brought out in novel ways.
In the last issue, we got to see some of his usually subdued, angry side because of Red K. In Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3, we get to look closer at his insecurities about his past. Yes, we know that Superman is an alien, but Prince does well with bringing out his human side. While displays of superpowers and fights against the bad guys are fun to read, it’s Superman’s humanity that really makes him shine.
There is a blend of humor and action in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3. This story ties back to older eras of Superman, as opposed to some of the more modern books, and that is working well in this five-issue series. The art by Morazzo and the colors by O’Halloran remain consistent from the first two issues.
Final Thoughts
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3 brings us past the halfway point in the series. The next issue will have us looking at whether Mxy is actually in need of help or if it’s just another game to play. My bet is on the latter. If you haven’t picked up this series, you’re missing out on an upbeat Superman tale full of action and excitement. Have fun, comic lovers!
