The DC Black Label mini-series Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum continues its mind-bending run, and holy moly, issue #3 is a straight-up joyride! Writer W. Maxwell Prince and artist Martín Morazzo, the incredible team behind Ice Cream Man, are just absolutely tearing up the rulebook for a Superman comic, and I’m here for every chaotic, crayon-colored second of it.
If you’ve been following along, you know the drill: Superman’s been deliberately exposing himself to newly-discovered Kryptonite variants. Issue #1 hit him with Purple K and shattered his perception of linear time into a confusing jigsaw puzzle. Issue #2’s Cobalt K turned him into a giant kaiju, only to shrink him down to a kid-sized Superboy at the end. Well, now our “Boy of Yesterday” is teamin’ up with a truly Marvelous friend for a whimsical, chronology-cruising adventure.
This comic hits you with a shot of pure, unadulterated nostalgia from the very start. The opening scene? A young Clark Kent playing with Billy Batson in his room. And yes, they say Captain Marvel. Not “Shazam” or, worse, “The Captain.” As a long-time fan, hearing it called out properly felt like a warm hug.
The scene in Billy’s room is just perfect. It’s all toys, merch, and posters: a kid just being a kid, playing with his action figures. But then you remember he can also turn into a superhero and hang with the Justice League. It’s the ultimate childhood wish fulfillment fantasy, and it reminded me of that Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie vibe from back in the day. What a rush that was as a kid.
One of the things I continue to dig about this series is how Prince keeps pulling random, awesome supervillains out of the archives for Lex to work with. This time, we get the pairing of the diabolical Dr. Sivana and the whimsical-but-deadly Toyman. Their itching scheme for our heroes? It involves magically poisoned funnel cakes and a rickety rollercoaster at a place called “Nostalgia Springs.” Morazzo’s design for Toyman in this issue is a highlight. That giant doll head with the missing, deep-black eyes is simultaneously super silly and genuinely unsettling.
Sivana and Toyman set their traps, which involve Bizarro Bots who are a little too enthusiastic about welcoming the heroes to the “safe, normal, fun place” with a punch to the face. Luckily, Superboy and Captain Marvel make short work of them with a sweet touchdown pass and a great, booming BOOOM from letterer Good Old Neon. Even with the villains’ schemes, Captain Marvel is having a great time, and so was I while reading. This issue has a great deal of charm to it, and these two heroes should absolutely team up more often. There’s no reason not to.
On the art front, this issue features many wonderful art therapy drawings by Martín Morazzo. Some are emotional and sad, while others are hilariously funny. It’s a plot point that’s used creatively to actually show art therapy drawings of Krypton’s final moments and Captain Marvel’s origins, and much more. We’ve seen Krypton blow up a million times, but never like this.
We also get a little detour to the Batcave, where Bruce and Alfred are trying to figure out this whole Kryptonite Spectrum mess: it’s totally out of Batman’s wheelhouse, which is fun to watch. Morazzo absolutely killed these scenes. His Batcave is dark, moody, and has all the things: the giant T. rex, the Joker card, the penny, and the many Batmobiles. Honestly, I think it’s every artist’s dream to draw the Batcave because the result is something you want to blow up and stick on your wall. Bruce does manage to uncover some answers, and we get a tease for that mythical Rainbow K we’re sure to learn more about it in the next issue.
The relationship between Superman and Captain Marvel is the heart of this issue. People might think a team-up would be boring because of their similarities, but that’s where they’d be wrong. There’s so much to uncover with this pairing, and this issue barely scratches the surface while showing off how much untapped potential there is. Finally, the colors are also great, moody, but with a rich palette all around. The issue culminates in a doozy of a finish I don’t want to spoil, but let’s just say “Bat-Pulse” for the win!
Overall, Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3 is a truly unique, must-read take on the Man of Steel mythos. It’s a blast of weird, heartfelt, nostalgic fun that proves this DC Black Label series is one of the best books on the stands.
‘Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum’ #3 Superboy & Captain Marvel Roller Coaster Adventure
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3 is a truly unique, must-read take on the Man of Steel mythos. It’s a blast of weird, heartfelt, nostalgic fun that proves this DC Black Label series is one of the best books on the stands.
