Adventures of Superman: Book of El #7
Scheduled to arrive in stores: April 1, 2026
Cover date: June 2026
“Book of El – Part 7”
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Scott Godlewski
Cover: Scott Godlewski and Alex Guimaraes
Variant Covers: Stephanie Hans and Lucio Parrillo
Reviewed by: JP Rocha
The Phaelosians led Alura-El, discuss the task at hand. They must take Olgrun’s Wrath, The Belt, from the Black Racer and charge it with the twin suns Borre and Birrum, then the cloud of nebula Bjolt, then the lethal red giant Arzaz, and finally the smallest and brightest, the healing sun Ajna, And then take the belt and wrap it around Superman, who is trapped in a powerless stasis.
The task that has been assigned to Otho-Ra. The only problem is that the Phaelosians believe that no can outrun the Racer. Their plan, the Phaelosian Valkyries will support the Starchild’s task by running interference against the Racer.
Inside the cloud nebula, Otho is affected by its radiation. Disoriented, the Starchild slows down but is able to keep ahead of the Black Racer. Pushing her way through to the lethal red giant. Otho has to get close, while being careful to not get too close because its gravity will pull her in. While she is able to fully charge the belt the Racer is right on her heels. Khan-El is forced to intervene, seemingly killing the Racer.
But the Black Racer “cannot be beaten only succeeded by the Racer to come” as the Racer’s powers transfer to the Starchild. Racer or not Otho-El is the Phaelosians and Superman’s savior.
Story – 3: Have you ever seen something up close, and admired it for what it is? The problem as you know, is however great it is, you lose context. As the idiom goes, you cannot see the forest through the trees. This is what an installment in a Phillip Kennedy Johnson book is like. While the story is good, the context is lost in the details. Installment after installment you lose track of the story, and Part 7 of Adventures of Superman: Book Of El is a perfect example.
Art – 4: Scott Godlewski’s art continues to impress. A stand out image is a splash page of Ortho-El, the Starchild’s transformation into the Black Racer. A very cool design, wearing the belt, Olgrun’s Wrath, with a glowing House of El symbol, and holding two lighting constructed ski poles.
Cover Art – 3: The cover is by interior artist Scott Godlewski and Matt Herms. Featuring Ortho-El the Starchild peering through a hard construct of a House of El symbol.
There are variant covers by Stephanie Hans and Lucio Parrillo.
The Stephanie Hans variant is the best of the three colors. This simple design is striking. The contrasting colors of the sky and clouds are complemented by the burning sun and Superman. The image of Superman stands out despite being relatively small.
Another Lucio Parrillo variant and another of his hyper-realistic covers, this one with an angry red-eyed Superman. This Superman is extra ripped and vascular. He is catching a piece of a mountain, as rubble falls around him.
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