Cover Art from Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #5 - Written by W. Maxwell Prince, Art by Martin Morazzo, Colors by Chris O’Halloran and Lettering by Good Old Neon
“He moved to Metropolis! And became Superman - The greatest hero to ever hero since heroes have heroed heroically!””
When you think of Kryptonite what do you see? I bet you’re picturing a sickly looking lime green rock. One of the few things in the DC Universe that can hurt the Man of Steel and even kill him if he’s exposed to it for too long. Over the years we’ve seen that Kryptonite doesn’t simply just come in one flavor. There’s red, there’s black, there’s gold… and the team behind the incredible horror comic Ice Cream Man, for the past four issues of their five issue limited series, have served up four new flavors of that good old special “K.” Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum has put Kal-El through the ringer and in this final issue, W. Maxwell Prince wraps up this tale in an issue that sticks its wacky and wild landing.
A Brief Recap of How We Got Here
Before we jump into Issue #5, let’s rewind a bit. At the beginning of Issue #1, we see Superman and his Fortress robots discover a meteorite that contains four new varieties of Kryptonite. These four new variations include Purple Kryptonite, Cobalt Kryptonite, Speckled Kryptonite, and Rainbow “K.” These variants join the established colors: Green, Red, Black, and Gold.
Issues #1–4 all dive into what these new types of Kryptonite do to Superman and the crazy consequences that follow:
Issue #1 focuses on Purple K and how it affects Superman’s perception of time. Throughout the issue, he experiences time out of order before the radiation drains from his system. We also learn that Lex Luthor has a secret project behind a door locked with the letters "M.O.K." * Issue #2 reveals the effect of Cobalt Kryptonite: it makes him Kaiju-sized. While the Justice League attempts to reverse the change, Batman figures out that Speckled Kryptonite can shrink Superman back to his proper size. However, to defeat the villain Chemo, Superman is forced to consume all of the villain's irradiated liquid. The combination of the liquid and the Speckled K turns back the clock, de-aging him into a teenager.
Issue #3 features a young Superman and Billy Batson against Toyman and Dr. Sivana. Eventually, Batman provides the cure to return Clark to his proper age. We are left with a massive cliffhanger as we discover Rainbow “K” isn’t a new type of Kryptonite at all, but rather a distress signal from the 5th Dimension.
Issue #4 is absolutely wild, with Superman and Batman helping the Imps from becoming "un-imagined" by a kid named “Brian-iac.” Superman eventually imagines his own familiar—similar to Bat-Mite—named Kal-Elf. Together, they defeat Brian-iac and return home, only to find Metropolis destroyed by the being created behind Luthor’s secret door: Kryptonite Man!
And with that, let’s see how everything wraps up. Spoiler warning is now in effect for Issue #5.
Superman vs. Kryptonite Man
“His name is Kryptonite Man and he’s my destroyed home planet incarnate!””
We start right in the middle of a warzone as Superman and Kryptonite Man do battle in what has become a horrifying attack on Metropolis. Kryptonite Man is a clone of Lex Luthor infused with many of the different kinds of the deadly rock, including Green, Cobalt, Purple, and Speckled.
The fight rages between the two foes, with Kryptonite Man throwing everything he has at the Man of Steel. First, he hits with the classic Green to begin weakening him, but Superman takes to the skies to try and create some distance. His plan fails as Kryptonite Man catches up to him and delivers a massive blast of the Purple variation.
Since the Purple variant messes with his perception of time, Superman not only sees the past but also views events from hundreds of different stories—all while witnessing himself getting beaten by Lex Luthor as he falls from the sky. It’s moments like these that truly highlight why Prince
We don’t normally get such wild sequences in Superman books, and Prince has taken his characteristic writing style and applied it in supreme fashion to the Man of Steel. Martin Morazzo’s art—which has been an absolute highlight since Issue #1—continues to complement Prince’s writing perfectly, with an art style that matches the zany vibe of this entire run.
One of the great sequences I want to highlight from an art perspective is the moment mentioned above: Superman falling after being hit with a huge dose of Purple “K.”
Following Superman’s fall back to Earth, he is beaten by Luthor and Kryptonite Man while Batman, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen do their best to stop Luthor’s army of Bizarro Bots, who are also attacking Metropolis. Luthor grabs Superman and commands his clone to shoot him full of Cobalt Kryptonite to make him Kaiju-sized once again. He sends his Bizarro Bots after the massive hero, but almost immediately, Kryptonite Man douses him with Speckled Kryptonite to shrink him.
Superman’s body undergoes these painful, rapid transformations, and Luthor is happier than ever causing his greatest enemy such distress. A massive Green Kryptonite punch from Kryptonite Man finally puts the Man of Steel “on the brink.”
Prince nails Luthor’s character throughout this entire run. Luthor might be one of the smartest people on the planet, but when it comes to Superman, his madness takes over; Prince has done a great job showing that obsession and how it all comes together in this final issue. I truly haven’t read a Superman story quite like this, and Prince was the perfect writer to craft this tale.
I also want to highlight Morazzo’s art once again—specifically the subtlety of the fight. Kryptonite Man becomes "rockier" as the issue progresses, as if the Kryptonite inside his body is growing the more he uses his power. It’s a really cool detail to notice as the character physically evolves during the battle.
Superman Gets The Miracle He Needs
With Superman losing this battle, it falls to Batman to help him as best as he can—and that help comes in the form of the robots that man the Fortress of Solitude. The war in Metropolis intensifies as the Bizarro Bots and the Fortress robots do battle while Superman tries to steady himself for the next assault.
Luthor’s tricks aren’t done quite yet; Superman gets hit with yet another type—Pink “K”—which only adds to the chaos inside his body. The combination of all the Kryptonite variants is starting to destroy him from the inside out, causing severe rashes to break out as a reaction. As Superman begins to realize his time might be running short, we get one of the best scenes of the entire run of The Kryptonite Spectrum.
Superman begins to tell Lois Lane goodbye. Even though they are broken up in this world, it is a heartwarming scene showing that, even at the end—and even if they aren’t what they once were—he still cares about her more than anything. We get a really cool panel during their goodbyes where Lois doesn’t see him as Superman, but as Clark Kent, with his characteristic slouch and glasses in hand. In the end, she doesn’t see the hero; she sees the man she met and originally fell in love with—the man from Smallville who would change the world. I loved this scene; from the writing to the art, it made this final issue that much more special.
Superman goes to confront Luthor and receives yet another blast of Green Kryptonite, but Luthor finally lets his overconfidence show, giving Superman the "shot in the arm" he needs for a fighting chance. Luthor holds a piece of Rainbow “K” and remarks, “It’s a shame [it proved] to be inert. How fitting it would have been to kill you with all the pretty little colors of a child’s illusion.”
With Rainbow “K” now known as a beacon to the 5th Dimension, Superman calls out for his friend and familiar, Kal-Elf, who arrives in our dimension in a full-page splash. This sequence is a direct tribute to the classic tale All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison. Superman briefly gets Kal-Elf up to speed on what has happened since he left the 5th Dimension, and the playful imp gets to have some fun helping his friend. Kal-Elf takes Luthor out briefly by mummifying him inside a bunch of flowers and then blows Kryptonite Man into a million pieces. I could tell you how brilliant the art is in this scene, but I’ll let the imagery speak for itself:
Superman takes Luthor and lifts him high above Metropolis to show him that the city he claims as his home never truly will be; he chastises him for the destruction caused by his petty grievances. The cumulative effects of the Kryptonite now truly take hold, and Superman throws Luthor away as he plummets to the ground, where he is quickly surrounded by Batman, Krypto, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Kal-Elf.
As Superman’s life begins to fade, Kal-Elf is "un-imagined." In these final moments, we get a brilliantly drawn page of his heartbeats slowly stopping, with each beat representing a different color of the Kryptonite infecting his body. Martin Morazzo is a rockstar; this issue is easily his best of the entire run, and I cannot imagine another artist bringing this story to life the way he has.
Batman explains to Lois that Clark's body is essentially fighting the strongest cancer possible; if they do not act, he will die within the hour. Even with Kryptonite Man gone and Luthor defeated, it seems Lex's goal will be met regardless, leaving the world without its greatest protector. But when Batman is involved... you know there is always a plan.
The Kryptonite Spectrum reaches its end
This story wasn’t destined for a "normal" ending, and Prince concludes his tale in one of the most humorous and intriguing ways possible. Batman shoots Clark with a decoction made from a combination of Speckled Kryptonite, and on the final page of Issue #5—in the very last panel of the series—we see that he has been turned all the way back into a baby, with Lois Lane now acting as his caretaker.
The Kryptonite poison has been purged from his system, and he will presumably now grow up surrounded by the people who love him. What will this world look like without a Superman for the time being? Can Batman figure out how to re-age him without poisoning him? How does this Lois/Clark dynamic look now that she is the caretaker? These are questions we may never get answers to, but they are fun to ponder all the same.
This was one of the most intriguing Superman stories I’ve ever read. My only real qualm is that we couldn’t get a few more issues in W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo’s version of the DC Universe. I would love to get another glimpse into their world in the future, but for any comic fan with even a remote interest in the Man of Steel, I highly recommend not only Issue #5 but this entire five-issue run. This was pure comic book goodness from beginning to end.