In this review of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5, Superman teams up with Batman and Kal-Elf to take down Lex and Kryptonite Man, but there are repercussions.
SUPERMAN: THE KRYPTONITE SPECTRUM #5
Written by W. MAXWELL PRINCE
Art and Main Cover by MARTÍN MORAZZO
Variant Covers: JUAN FERREYRA and ALEX ECKMAN-LAWN
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 12/17/25
This review contains spoilers
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5 opens with Superman and Kryptonite Man duking it out in the skies of Metropolis. Clark gets hit with the various forms of kryptonite present in previous issues – purple K, cobalt K, and speckled K. His sense of time gets scrambled, he gets big, and he gets small, all in rapid succession. All of this exposure, coupled with a punch from Kryptonite Man’s green K hand, weakens Superman to the point that he can’t fight back. Fortunately, Batman has called in backup in the form of Superbots, who are able to fight off Lex’s Bizarro Bots.
While the fight is taking place, Lex shoots Clark with a Pink Kryptonite rocket which leads to Clark developing a Fifth Disease virus. He gives some goodbye speeches to Jimmy and Lois before flying off to help Batman battle Lex and Kryptonite Man, who still have the upper hand. Kal-Elf soon makes a reappearance and destroys Kryptonite Man, allowing Superman to focus on Lex. In doing so, the last of his energy is drained and Clark crashes to earth on the brink of death.
Back in Batman’s laboratory, he uses a burst of Black Kryptonite mixed with liquids leftover from Chemo (last seen in issue #2) on Clark as a last resort to save him. The story flashes forward months later where, in the Batcave, Bruce is testing the effects of mixing rainbow K with radioactives. We jump to Metropolis, where Lois, Jimmy, Linda (Queen of the Spreadsheets), and Atom Smasher are all taking care of a baby Clark. Batman’s last ditch effort to save Clark resulted in turning him back into a baby to fight off the Fifth Disease virus he contracted with all of the exposure to the various forms of kryptonite.
Analysis
Maxwell Prince wraps up the five-issue series in a bit of an odd fashion with Clark getting turned back into a baby, but it fits with the rest of this slightly off the wall story. In each issue, Superman has needed help from his friends to work through the effects of the kryptonite forms. Becoming a baby again puts him in a state of complete reliance on his friends.
Upon the first read of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5, I wasn’t sure that I liked how the story turned out, but after letting it soak in, I did, in fact, enjoy the message. Through the various effects of kryptonite we’ve seen through these issues, Prince shows us how we all have different things we struggle with and that we sometimes need a little help from those around us.
I did enjoy the inclusion of all the various forms of kryptonite in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5, as well as the return of Kal-Elf. If he doesn’t show up again in other Superman books from time to time, it’ll be such a waste because he’s a fun little addition to 5th Dimension.
Martin Morazzo’s art style has remained consistent throughout the series. While I’m not the biggest fan of how the characters are drawn, the look is distinctive and fits with the somewhat zany tone of the story. Kal-Elf’s return with a splash page is especially fun. Chris O’Halloran has done a good job with the colors throughout the run, as well. Each page has a range of colors, some more so than others, but none of them are overly busy. The action is easy to follow since the characters are colored to stand out against the background.
Final Thoughts
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5 wraps up a decidedly different, but entertaining, entry into the Superman titles. If you’re looking for a Superman book that’s a bit more atypical than usual, grab this one. Have fun, comic lovers!
