Superman #42: Shark Attack

El Caldero has become the Kryptonite Kingdom after a Kryptonite meteor hit Earth and made Green K the most abundant resource in the world. Lois Lane gets a call from the Kryptonite King, and he requests that she come to El Caldero. Knowing it’s an obvious trap, Supergirl brings together the Super Family and her team, Super Force, to accompany Editor-in-Chief Lane to the Kryptonite Kingdom. But when they find out General Zod is behind the Kryptonite plague, they must hope that Superman can save them. Superman #42 is part eight of the epic nine-issue event Kingdom of Zod. Following the events of Supergirl #17 and Action Comics #1102, General Zod has been killed by a resurrected Ursa, who has gone back in time to save Krypton.  Zod isn’t satisfied with simply ruling what he has conquered. His plans are expanding, and with a Kryptonite infection spreading across the globe, the threat has quickly become much larger than any other confrontation between Superman and one of his oldest enemies. This issue is the epic fight between Superman and a younger General Zod. Who will be victorious? Find out in this incredible issue of Superman. 

This run of Superman has been excellent, and Joshua Williamson has done an exceptional job at tying everything from the DC Universe into this story. After Superman’s absence and eventual return in Action Comics #1101, seeing Clark once again positioned at the center of the Superman line carries some genuine weight. Williamson has spent much of his Superman run exploring the idea that Clark’s greatest strength isn’t necessarily his Kryptonian abilities. It’s the effect he has on other people. Superman inspires people to become better versions of themselves, and Kingdom of Zod gives that idea an especially interesting test. That’s because one of the people trying to prove Superman’s influence actually worked is Superboy-Prime.Prime has become one of the most fascinating wild cards in the current Superman books. He’s a character with decades of baggage attached to him, and Williamson’s decision to place him alongside the Super-Family has created an unexpectedly compelling redemption story.

Eddy Barrows’ artwork is an excellent match for this chapter. Barrows gives this issue a muscular, dramatic quality that immediately sells the scale of the threat. Characters feel powerful without losing their humanity, and the environments have enough detail to make this conflict feel considerably larger than two Kryptonians punching one another. That’s especially important because Kingdom of Zod has become a genuine Super-Family event. Superman, Supergirl, Superboy-Prime, Conner Kent, Steel and others have been pulled into the conflict across multiple titles. DC has described this chapter as the point where Superman and the larger Super-Family finally confront Zod, and Barrows’ cinematic approach seems perfectly suited to bringing those characters together. Eber Ferreira’s inks add definition to Barrows’ already expressive pencils, while Ulises Arreola’s colors help sell the strange atmosphere surrounding El Caldero and the Kryptonite crisis.