Superman Unlimited #12 is written by Dan Slott and published by DC Comics. Artwork by Lucas Meyer. Colours by Giuliano Peratelli. Letters by Dave Sharpe. Main cover art (left) is by Taurin Clarke.
Superman Unlimited #12 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
REIGN OF THE SUPERBOYS HEATS UP! Little (super) boy lost! Tomorrow Man has a shocking surprise for Lois Lane. His name is Jon Kent, and he’s just a little boy. The Reign of the Superboys continues! (And, possibly… the reign of a super… monkey?)
Review
Superman Unlimited #12 continues “The Reign of the Superboys,” navigating the shifting dynamics of the DC Universe in the wake of K.O.
This is a complicated issue. It delivers plenty of strong, isolated moments and raises big questions, but it feels rushed and narratively fractured. Let’s dive in.
Jon Kent, now Tomorrow Man, a name I’m not really sold on, took over Superman Unlimited with a bang last issue, marking a bold new era for the “aged-up” son of Superman and Lois Lane. His life becomes even more complicated when he reintroduces his younger self—the version trapped on Earth-3 during the Unity Saga.
The return of the younger Superboy raises fascinating questions for the Kent family and the wider DC Universe. For starters, how will Lois Lane handle this homecoming while Clark remains missing? And while the issue doesn’t address it yet, it’s hard not to wonder how two Jons affect continuity. Does this return permanently undo the controversial storyline where Ultraman trapped Jon in a volcano on Earth-3?
So far, the story avoids getting bogged down in timeline debates or “vanishing” paradoxes—which is probably for the best. Still, it’s hard not to wonder if DC is aiming for a Cable/Nathan Summers-style dynamic, with both versions of Jon coexisting.
The main drawback here is the lack of focus. The previous issue felt confident and focused, but this one suffered from plate spinning. The emotional and thematic weight of Superboy’s return and Tomorrow Man’s new identity is crowded out by the introduction of two subplots that don’t pay off in this issue: the arrival of the Krypto-Knights in El Caldero and a Kryptonite-enhanced monkey escaping from a lab.
While both ideas are intriguing, they pull attention away from the deeper exploration of the two Jons and the people around them.
When Tomorrow Man brings Superboy to Lois, he finds Batman and Damian Wayne (Robin) already at the apartment. The scene mainly exists to let Damian see that young Jon, his best friend, has returned. Anyone expecting a Super Sons reunion, however, should temper expectations. If anything, the issue hints at a future Robin V Superboy conflict—an idea that doesn’t quite sit right given their established friendship.
Lois Lane presents another issue. Our favourite tenacious reporter doesn’t feel entirely true. A masked stranger brings her son back, yet she asks few questions, tells Batman to leave, and then asks Tomorrow Man to stay and help her with Jon rather than return to the future. Her reaction feels rushed and emotionally muted. One could argue she knows deep down who Tomorrow Man is—but I don’t buy that. I also don’t buy Tomorrow Man concealing his identity from Lois Lane, his mother.
To be clear, I’m a big fan of Dan Slott. He’s one of the strongest contemporary writers in comics. Still, as an early chapter in “Reign of the Superboys,” this issue needed more focus. It packs in too much setup for future plot lines and not enough of the emotional core that the previous issue handled so well. Still, this will be a fun time for a reader.
Despite the aforementioned issues, there’s a lot to invest in here. While we don’t know what is to come, the Krypto-Knights have a killer design, and you want to know more about them. Lucas Meyer’s designs are brilliant, and his artwork throughout the issue is stellar.
It will be interesting to see where things go next. How will young Jon and Damian reconnect, or not? How Tomorrow Man (are they really sticking with that name?) positions himself within this new dynamic. And what the revelation of who Tomorrow Man will mean to Lois and others, if anything. And just what the heck is going on with that monkey?!
Verdict
Overall, Superman Unlimited #12 feels like the creative team setting up the chessboard, from the Krypto-Knights of El Caldero to a genetically enhanced monkey infused with Kryptonite serum, that lands on a compelling cliffhanger—now it’s a matter of seeing how the game plays out.
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