Action Comics #1101
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Montos
Colors by Ivan Plascencia
Letters by Steve Wands
Cover Art by Guillem March
The Kingdom of Zod crossover rolls on in Action Comics #1101, and I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this particular issue. Part one was a nice introduction and laid some good groundwork for the story ahead, but this second part drives it forward with some big events and timely arrivals that add another layer to this Kryptonite-infected nightmare. Mark Waid is joined by artist Montos and colorist Ivan Plascencia as the world takes a turn for the worst in Action Comics #1101. Spoiler Warning Now in Effect for Action Comics #1101 - Kingdom of Zod - Part 2!
A Plague Begins to Spread…
Kingdom of Zod Part 2 opens with another look back at the events surrounding the destruction of New Kandor and the death of Zod’s wife, Ursa. We then pivot back to the present day, where, from Egypt to Easter Island and Paris, France, to Metropolis, a Kryptonite plague of apocalyptic proportions is sweeping across the Earth. We are four pages in, and things are already extremely dire for not just our Kryptonian friends but everyone on Earth. Right off the bat, I have to applaud the writers for this event not pulling any punches from the get-go. It makes this event that much more intriguing because the good guys are really gonna have to dig deep in order to figure this one out.
Before heading back to the insanity going on in El Caldero (which if you read Supergirl #16 - Kingdom of Zod Part 1 you’d already know about!) we join Superman, his younger Superboy self, Martian Manhunter, Booster Gold and Mary Marvel inside the time stream right after the events of Action Comics #1100. Superman and the crew are more than ready to be back at the Justice League watchtower but they’re time ship is being drawn to another location… I’ll give you three guesses where. This issue finally brings Superman back to Earth after he disappeared at the end of D.C. KO and if you haven’t read the 2026 Superman Annual you should 100% get on that to see what he’s been through. To have him back on the board for the Justice League is massive and you already know he’s primed for a huge role as Kingdom of Zod rolls on.
On El Caldero, things are not going well for Supergirl and her allies. Supergirl is getting kicked around by the Eradicatrix, Lois is still trapped by Zod while he rips his powers back out of her and everyone else from SuperForce and the House of El are dealing with the Krypto-Knights (there’s a crypto joke in there somewhere but I can’t quite find it). Lois and Zod then begin to engage in a verbal war of words with each other and I have to commend Ms. Lane here: she ain’t afraid of anybody and where someone would wilt in the face of one of the most powerful villains in the DC Universe, she mean mugs him right back.
Lois Lane, trapped in this horrible situation and slowly being drained of the power that let her experience what life had always been like for her husband, doesn’t pout, doesn’t cry, doesn’t get down. She does what she does best: getting answers from people who don’t necessarily want to give them. Waid’s characterization is something I’ve spoken a lot about in my reviews of his books and he once again, it’s like he gets inside the head of the characters he writes and you can tell he has a complete understanding of them. Lois should always be depicted as the fearless journalist who gets to the bottom of the story and I’m glad Waid has portrayed her as such.
Lois keeps Zod talking and gets him to admit to his plan of ruling the Earth but she already knows that much. What I love that she does is she gets Zod angry and when anyone’s emotions flare, they can end up saying something or reacting in a way they didn’t mean to. Lois implies to Zod that the only reason he wants to rule the Earth is because he wants people to maybe one day look up to him like Superman. Zod loses it but Lois keeps her cool as we check back in with Supergirl, Prime and Nightflame.
The Battle Ramps Up
Supergirl, Prime, and Nightflame do their best to take down the Eradicatrix but they barely succeed in slowing her down. Phantasmagoria joins their fight but so do the Krypto-Knights with only Prime seemingly getting away unscathed. Zod’s forces, combined with the Kryptonite flooding the area, is proving to be quite the detriment to the heroes and their K-shields won’t last forever.
It’s not everyday you see someone as powerful as Supergirl getting slapped around; it’s made very clear in this issue how much of a deficit the heroes are at and like I mentioned earlier, it just makes for a better overall story to see how they’re going to overcome it. Things go from bad to worse as Zod’s fury at Lois continues to grow.
Zod is furious. How dare Lois think he would want to be anything like Superman. In Zod’s eyes, Superman has not suffered anywhere close to what he’s suffered; he’s had to see his planet die twice now and his family is disintegrated. Despite the wrath of Zod, Lois still remains calm and tries to continue to get him to talk and reveal more behind his motivations. Lois Lane, forever the journalist.
We cut away from El Caldero Fortress for two very important scenes. In the first we join Tomorrow Man, Jon Kent’s hero persona, along with the members of Steelworks and Lana Lang. The most important thing to know from this scene: the Kryptonite being produced by El Caldero isn’t the same old Kryptonite. There’s a slight variation in it. What could that mean? It’s time for the Steelworks squad to find out. This is going to be a very fun story beat to follow going forward knowing that this is yet another different strain of Kryptonite. P.S… I’m really digging Jon’s Tomorrow Man vibe; the suit is really growing on me.
We get to check in with the time stream team now before heading back to the battle at the El Caldero Fortress. The time stream has *shockingly* spit them out in Emerald City by the El Caldero Fortress and things go from bad to worse. Superboy (the young version of our Superman from the recent Action Comics run) races to save a man who has fallen off a building and just as he puts him down on the ground he begins to feel the effects of the Kryptonite… Superman, Martian Manhunter, Booster Gold and Mary Marvel begin to sprout green from their skin just like so many others on the planet and before they can even join the battle at the El Caldero Fortress they’re taken off the board… This Kryptonite might be a different strain but its effects still seem as deadly as ever. To lose Superman before he can even get to the fight is a huge blow for the allied forces. And now, for the final time this issue, let’s check back in on Supergirl, Zod and what’s going on at the Kryptonite Fortress of El Caldero.
A Hopeful Cliffhanger and Rating
Lois keeps poking and poking and poking at Zod as he continues to siphon his power back from her, but finally, his machine finishes, and it appears his abilities have returned to him. How does he check? By completely melting the skull of his lackey Mateo with heat vision as Lois looks on in horror. Zod grabs Lois by the throat and threatens to make her death "excruciating." She warns that Clark will come and save her like he always does, but Zod mocks her as he uses his super vision to see almost every member of the House of El and their allies in terrible amounts of pain… all except two. I’m not going to spoil the last page of this issue, but man did it feel good to see that not all hope is gone in the fight against Zod and his Kryptonite plague.
I can’t let this review go by without mentioning the art team of Montos and Ivan Plascencia. They did a phenomenal job this entire issue. The battles all looked incredible, and they managed to make the Kryptonite plague look extremely painful as it spreads not only across the Earth but on people’s bodies. The scenes between Lois and Zod had some of my favorite art in the entire issue, and for the most part it just featured the two of them getting in each other’s faces and talking, but the emotion they were able to show on Zod’s face, as well as Lois’ really stood out. Lastly, I want to shout out that final cliffhanger splash page because man did it look great to see those two characters make their grand entrance.
Action Comics #1101 ramps up the stakes in the battle against General Zod and the Kryptonite plague he has unleashed upon the Earth. The entirety of the House of El, along with their allies, are in dire straits but a fantastic cliffhanger shows us that hope still survives. Mark Waid and the art team deliver a great second part in the ‘Kingdom of Zod’ crossover, and I’m very eager to see where this story goes.