In this review of Superman Unlimited #15, Ultraboy fights everyone and choices are made, but do those decisions result in a happy ending?
SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #15
Written by DAN SLOTT
Art by LUCAS MEYER
Main Cover: TAURIN CLARKE
Variant Covers: ZOE THOROGOOD, FERNANDO BLANCO
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 7/15/26
This review contains spoilers
Superman Unlimited #15 begins at the battle at Steelworks that started in Superman Unlimited #14 continues on as the El Calderan Green K spreads across Smallville. Lois calls the Kents to warn them of the danger while she whistles for Krypto and the Supermobile to help in the fight.
Batman and Robin show up after having watched from the Batcave in the last issue. Batman uses a chemical cloud to turn the Green K into harmless to humans Blue K, Damian fights using Blue K weapons that hurt Ultraboy. Tomorrow Man steps in to save Jon, who then realizes that he wants to be a good guy. Ultraboy rounds up the spreading Green K and throws it into space.
Tomorrow Man then reveals that he’s actually Jon from this Earth right before Txyz shows up to offer him a choice. He can rescue his actual self from the past or keep the Ultraboy version of Jon. With ease, he picks Ultraboy because Jon knows that he’s the version who needs to be saved.
Txyz isn’t finished, though, and he pulls young Jon’s mother, Superwoman, from Earth-3. She grabs the boy and drags him back to their Earth.
After the battle has settled down and everyone has had a chance to understand their situations, Tomorrow Man and Lois fly back to Metropolis, ending the issue.
Analysis
As the “Reign of the Superboys” saga nears its conclusion, writer Dan Slott begins to wrap up loose ends, but creates other roads to travel down in the future.
Young Jon makes clear that he wants to be good, despite his parentage and upbringing. I like that we get a resolution to the good guy / bad guy angle that Slott has been playing for a few issues now. With him getting hauled back to Earth-3 by Superwoman, though, it might be a while before we find out exactly what happens with him.
I also like that Tomorrow Man finally reveals his true identity. Of course, Batman and Lois had it figured out, but it was still important for him to show young Jon, especially when he makes the decision to keep Ultraboy rather than save his past self. The son of Superman and Lois looking to help others before himself is the natural way to go.
Lana now has kryptonite powers which came in handy to help save Smallville, but those will have to be fixed down the road. I’m not sure if this will happen “off the pages” or if we’ll get an issue for this resolution, but I’m assuming we won’t get a clear answer on this for a while, either.
I really liked the ending that Slott wrote here. As Jon is flying Lois back to Metropolis, she releases him from his reporter duties, wanting him to find his own path instead of being expected to follow in his parents’ footsteps. Now he’s free to do whatever he wants, removing him from the shadows of his parents.
This issue revolves around choices. Jon saving Ultraboy, Ultraboy wanting to be Superboy, Lois letting Jon pick his future are the big ones and for any young readers (and even older ones) out there, Slott is sending a great message. We should all be free to pick how we want to live our lives. Hopefully, we can choose to help each other while doing so.
Lucas Meyer and Giuliano Peratelli provide some great illustrations and colors. Each character gets multiple chances to stand out in the panelwork. The two splash pages when Damian first fights Superboy are especially good. In one of those, the Green K is shattered and we can see Tomorrow Man’s reflection in them while he watches the battle. It’s a nice added detail to the fight’s artwork.
Final Thoughts
Superman Unlimited #15 is filled with action from start to finish, but there are some slower moments where far-reaching choices are made. While the “Reign of the Superboys” is ending, this issue opens the door for many more stories in the near future. Have fun, comic lovers!
