The Man of Steel spent July '22 fighting for a better tomorrow, while the Son of Kal-El worked to build a better Justice League amid a Dark Crisis.
July's batch of Superman comics really shows the Man of Steel at his best. Superman is perhaps the most significant force for good in the entire DC Universe. His ideals of truth, justice, and a better world ring through all of his actions, big and small. He and his family are living representations of hope and inspire others to be their best selves, and this aspect of the character has been on full display this summer.
Whether leading a revolution, stopping a nuclear war, or parenting a child, the Kryptonians repeatedly proved that they are true heroes. It can be hard to keep up with all these adventures, so here's an overview of everything the Super-Family has been up to so far.
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Dark Crisis #2 (by Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere) follows Deathstroke's continued siege against Titans Tower. Eventually, it all boils down to a fight to the death between Deathstroke and Nightwing that ends when the latter offers his life if Deathstroke promises to leave. Then the son of Superman, Jon Kent, joins the fray and saves Nightwing, destroying Deathstroke's forces in the process. However, as always, the villain has a backup plan -- he calls in the evil Cyborg Superman. What follows is the most brutal fight of Jon Kent's short career as Superman, one that takes every ounce of strength he has.
Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League - Superman #1 (by Tom King and Chris Burnham) explores what is truly going on with the League after their fatal fight with Pariah and the Great Darkness. This issue places Clark Kent's Superman in a familiar situation. The issue sees the Man of Steel locked in his own mind, experiencing a paradise crafted by his subconscious -- a situation very reminiscent of the legendary Superman story, "For The Man Who Has Everything", penned by Alan Moore.
The twist this time is that Superman gets to see his son Jon Kent grow up, something he and Lois lost in the main continuity. Superman spends this dream watching as Jon evolves from a young sidekick into a hero. The issue ends with Jon heading off to fight in a universal war against evil as Clark and Lois tearfully say goodbye.
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Clark isn't the only one experiencing strange dreams. Superman: Son of Kal-El #13 (by Tom Taylor and Clayton Henry) picks up as Jon and his boyfriend, Jay (previously an anonymous reporter), are still reeling from Jay's unmasking. So the duo heads to the Fortress of Solitude in the arctic circle to get away from the chaos. There, they meet up with Dreamer, who has a dire warning for them. Using her abilities, she pulls Jon into a dream that reveals a terrible future. Henry Bendix, the evil president of Gamorra, makes a final push in his effort to supplant superheroes with his private force of metahumans known as the Rising. Bendix prompts Jon and the Justice League to converge by staging an attack in Gotham. Once they are all gathered, the heroes are felled by the Rising. Jon thanks Dreamer for her warning by giving her a gift from his time spent with the Legion of Superheroes in the 31st century -- a pair of gloves that will help her control her abilities.
Batman, Superman, Supergirl, and an eclectic team of heroes, the Doom Patrol, continue the fight against the godlike Devil Nezha in Batman/Superman: World's Finest #5 (by Mark Waid and Dan Mora). Nezha, the ancient demon who wants to take over the world, has been momentarily incapacitated and the team of heroes has very little time to discuss the previous issue's shocking revelation that in order to lock Nezha away in his ancient crypt, someone will have to stay in there with him. Nezha quickly regains consciousness and takes control of Superman's mind. Supergirl faces off with the possessed Man of Steel as Batman and the Doom Patrol work to take down Nezha once more. During this fight, the Dark Knight and Doom Patrol member, Robot Man, pummel Nezha, severing his hold over Superman and revealing his weakness to modern technology.
Superman utilizes this information and decides to use a piece of Kryptonian technology, a projector, to lock Nezha away in the extradimensional prison known as the Phantom Zone. Alas, Nezha is too strong for that, he immediately rips the zone open and breaks free from the prison. Superman then makes a risky move -- the Man of Steel grabs Nezha and flies into the crypt with him, locking both of them in. The heroes mourn their loss until Batman realizes that Superman took the projector with him. Quickly deducing that he used it on himself, the team rushes to the ripped but quickly closing rift of the Phantom Zone and pulls Superman out in the knick of time.
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The Warworld revolution draws closer to the end in July's Action Comics #1045 (by Philip Kennedy Johnson, Will Conrad, and Brent Peeples.) Superman has been building a movement on Warworld, making people rise up and revolt against the life of violence and captivity the tyrant Mongul made for them. Yet, that tyrant is still mighty, and this issue highlights that fact. The story opens with a tragic loss as the revolutionaries fall to Mongul's army. With things as dire as they are, Superman elects to travel deep into the underbelly of Warworld where an ancient power lies, waiting for someone to come and claim it.
Back on earth, in the backup story titled "A World Without Clark Kent" (by Philip Kennedy Johnson and David Lapham), Steel and Lois work alongside Superman's Warworld team to come up with a plan to cripple Mongul and his forces by utilizing energy from an object known as the Genesis Fragment. The team is on the verge of a breakthrough when they are suddenly attacked by a villain known as Conduit, who steals the fragment and makes his escape, setting up a major conflict between him and the Super-Family.
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Superman: Space Age #1 (by Mark Russell, Mike Allred, and Laura Allred) takes things back to the 1960s with a story that explores the origins of the Man of Steel and the Justice League in the age of the Cold War. This issue puts a different spin on Clark's relationships with both of his father figures. Jonathan Kent is a veteran of World War II and a man with many regrets who wants Clark to hide from the world. Jor-El, his Kryptonian father, is the opposite, as he lays out numerous expectations for his young son. Clark is forced to find his place in this world. Right out of the gate he totally messes it up and nearly starts a nuclear war by flying over restricted airspace. Not a great start. Clark then decides to wait a little longer to be a hero. He heads to Metropolis in order to become more in tune with the people and the Fortress of Solitude to master his powers.
Clark's journey of self-discovery ends when Lex Luthor stages a nuclear attack on Coast City in order to start a war between the United States and Russia. Clark sees this and finally rises to the occasion. As the US releases its nuclear arsenal in retaliation, Clark dons the Superman suit for the first time and dashes off to save the world. He blocks all the bombs and stops the war from occurring. The end of the issue sees other costumed heroes join the fight as well, including Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern. These heroes gather together and form the Justice League, vowing to protect the world.
July really showcased what makes the Super-Family so great. Across time and space, they work to inspire change and bring hope to the hopeless. But there's still a lot of work to do, which means there's a lot to look forward to in the world of Superman. So, be sure to pick up the latest issues of all these series to see how the Kryptonians continue their fight for truth, justice, and a better world.
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