REVIEW: Superman #26

Superman #26 showcases just why Joshua Williamson is perfect for this series and Superman stories in particular, I have been very excited to pick up this issue and it did not disappoint!

But before we get into the issue itself, let’s take a look at the covers. Dan Mora’s cover is a great and powerful cover that really speaks to the issue’s contents. It’s also reminiscent of the various “chain-breaking” covers of the past, while still being fresh. And the character icon in the corner box is awesome!

Derrick Chew’s variant brings a focus on Lois Lane and Supergirl, it’s really fun to see the two together being so playful. Whilst I’m not usually one for the anime style, this has a sense of charm.

Guillem March’s is a really cute and playful cover which really evokes that classic 90s comic book feel to it, whilst also feeling very modern. It also ties in perfectly with the contents of the issue.

There are also variant covers available by Clayton Henry & Ulises Arreola, Marc Aspinall and Riley Rossmo.

Writer, Joshua Williamson continues to pull off an incredible amount of talent and fun in a mere 22 pages, while also packing in some great character work. If one were to go back and read this series from the beginning to now, he’s still pulling on threads from issue #1, and it’s so well done. This issue somehow deals with Lois’ powers, Lex’s repercussions, Superman’s Red K infection, Mercy’s Supercorp work, Lena’s feelings of betrayal, AND tosses in two interlude pages foreshadowing future stories, and none of it feels rushed or haphazard. This is Williamson, and Superman, at its finest, and as with every issue, I cant wait to read more.

Whilst the story was good, one could argue that the art in this issue was…distracting. There were three artists on this issue, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira and Sean Izaakse, with colours by Alejandro Sanchez and whilst their art was good, it didn’t seem to work together, and while I can tell some of Barrows pages, even they felt stunted and out of place. I don’t think it brought down the issue too bad, but let’s just say I missed Dan Mora.

(8/10) As with nearly every issue in this series, Superman #26 left me excited for more.. I’m going to knock a couple point for the art, because it was truly noticeable this time, but still a fantastic comic.