In this review of Superman Unlimited #16, the battle in the Emerald City heats up as Zod regains his powers and Superman looks to save his family.
SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #16
Written by DAN SLOTT
Art by RACHAEL STOTT
Main Cover: GUILLEM MARCH
Variant Covers: ACO, TAURIN CLARKE, MARK SPEARS
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 8/19/26
This review contains spoilers
The opening pages of Superman Unlimited #16 describe Zod’s recovery on board an alien ship after the attack on New Kandor. During that recovery and his eventual return to Earth, his focus is on revenge against Superman.
Picking up where Action Comics #1101 left off, Superboy Prime and Superboy (Conner) are teaming up to take on Zod in El Caldero. They have the upper hand for a short time, but Zod blasts their anti-Green K shield devices with heat vision, rendering the two weakened by the Green K.
Zod throws them toward the Green K mines in an effort to further weaken and, eventually, kill them. He then orders Eradicatrix to destroy all superhumans in the Emerald City, allowing him time to regain his full powers.
She goes to find Superman and the other heroes and while she immobilizes Booster Gold, Superboy and Superman head off in different directions. Superboy eventually finds and helps Supergirl take out the Krypto-Knights, while Superman discovers that Lois is being held captive.
Tomorrow Man, en route to El Caldero with Steel and crew, arrives at the Kryptonite Kingdom to help in the battle. He initially rescues Lois from Zod, but is soon overwhelmed and beaten down. Fortunately, Superman arrives in a Kryptonian Battle Suit, protecting himself from the Green K and allowing him to fight Zod, just as the issue ends.
Analysis
In this third part to the “Kingdom of Zod” event, writer Dan Slott picks up the story from Mark Waid and he places an emphasis on the importance of teamwork. It’s scattered throughout the issue, as just about everyone is in a weakened state and needs help to survive. Even the non-Kryptonian members of Supergirl’s Super Force are having a tough time, as they’re imprisoned within the depths of El Caldero.
While it’s common in comics for superheroes to need help, I still like the overall message that even the strongest among us need assistance at times.
We also get to see Clark reunited with his family after his time away for the last few months. It’s a brief reunion, but a long overdue one. Clark has been fighting hard to get back to his loved ones and, naturally, he has to do so in the middle of a big showdown.
Zod has gone full revenge-mode looking to not only beat, but kill, anyone and everyone that gets in his way of destroying Superman. I did have a good chuckle at Superboy Prime calling him Terence Stamp, though. Prime never fails to deliver fun commentary and has quickly become one of my favorite characters in all of DC.
I do have to question Slott just a little for turning Zod into Wolverine at the very end of the issue. As he goes to attack Superman, he pops some Kryptonite claws. The only thing missing was a “Snikt” action word on the page. As a fan of Wolverine, I don’t mind seeing the claws, but Zod has plenty of power on his own to take on the Man of Steel.
Artist Rachael Stott’s style is noticeably different from that found in previous issues. She relies on a thinner linework, but many of her panels are filled with detail. It’s not overly packed, but most panels don’t have empty backgrounds. I like the fact there’s something else besides the characters for my eyes to take in. Giuliano Peratelli returns to coloring. He provides plenty of variety in the colors used, as well as good shading with those colors.
Final Thoughts
Superman Unlimited #16 doesn’t skimp on the action. There are great fights from beginning to end. With two-thirds of the “Kingdom of Zod” event left to go, things are just warming up. Have fun, comic lovers!
