REVIEW: Superman Unlimited #3
“Hey buddy, eyes up here!”, Superman Unlimited #3 has now made its way to your local comic book shops. In this issue titled “The Towering Terror of Toyman and a very Good Boy!” written by Dan Slott, drawn by Rafeal Albuquerque, colored by Marcelo Maiolo, and lettering done by Dave Sharpe, Superman and his powerful pup, Krypto must team up against the twisted Toyman-or so they think.
Before I begin breaking down the continuation of this super-story, I’m going to talk about some of the beautiful variant covers to keep an eye out for. In the cover by Leinil Francis Yu, we have a breathtaking image that captures Clark Kent ditching the mild mannered reporter guise, ripping his shirt open to reveal that iconic S. it really gives the viewer a real sense of peril showing various bystanders reacting to the out of view yet very troubling sight. The heavenly glow being cast onto the characters feels like it symbolizes Superman’s call to action, being a visual queue to Clark and the readers that it looks like a job for Superman.
Next up, we have a striking cover by Tony S. Daniel, which depicts Superman, in the background struggling to hold an insurmountable weight of a falling structure, trying his best to save the lives of various panic stricken construction workers in the foreground. It’s an epic piece that really shows the weight, both literally and figuratively, of the responsibility Superman must shoulder being the Man of Tomorrow. The colors really pop here, making this a really eye-catching cover that will no doubt fill the cart of a comic collector.
In this cheerful cover drawn by Ryan Benjamin, we have a smiling Superman looking down at an even happier Krypto, with a lovely blue sky background. It truly embodies the charm and lovable nature of both characters that will make readers smile every time they see it.
There are also covers by Frank Cho, Christian Ward, Robin Zombie Higginbottom and Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo.
Now that we’ve got the covers, well, covered, let’s crack this story open and see what’s going on with our favorite blue boy scout. We get a nice little flashback to a young Clark still mastering his powers, and causing a bit of unintentional ruckus on the farm. This experience of him not being entirely in control of how everything works with him yet better informs his choices with handling Krypto, as we see him rush to his defense when he gets into trouble. It demonstrates that even early on, Clark has always had a deep level of empathy for those around him, even his fluffy four legged friend.
We then jump cut to the present day as Clark decides to look into the troubling allyship between El Caldero and Schotts & Sons, the company created by the infamous Toyman, and tries to figure out if this connection is indeed true. Meanwhile, Krypto beats Clark to the punch on finding Toyman as comic book action and calamity ensues. The comedy in here is pitch perfect and really immerses you into the wacky and wonderful world of DC Comics. The writing and the artwork here has a lot of bite to it and keeps readers on their toes throughout, wondering what the end results might be. There’s some very clear synergy with the Superman film including a rambunctious Krypto and solar bed to help him heal and regain energy. My only issue with this story is the ending. I won’t go into much detail on it, but I felt that the way things played out in the climax, that Superman should’ve handled the situation a little differently.
(8/10) Superman Unlimited #3 is a fun ride from start to finish. It’s a light and breezy issue with the right amount of stakes with an interesting twist. I look forward to seeing what else will come of this run.
