Superman #23
Scheduled to arrive in stores: February 26, 2025
Cover date: April 2025
“The Enemy of My Enemy”
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Dan Mora
Cover: Dan Mora
Variant Covers: Guillem March, Nathan Szerdy, Dave Johnson, Dan Panosian
Hush Variant Cover: Kaare Andrews
Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel
Time Trapper has paused time milliseconds before a potentially fatal energy blast from The Radiant hits Jimmy Olsen.
Having failed to convince Superman to help this Doomsday, Time Trapper has decided to offer Superwoman a bargain. Help him succeed in his goal and he will reveal Lois’ fate.
Superwoman is no fool and violently rebukes his offer pointing out that Time Trapper wouldn’t keep trying to manipulate her and Superman if they weren’t important. Something about them is pivotal to his future and like it or not he needs them. His threats therefore, are empty.
Reeling from Superwoman’s words Time Trapper notices The Radiant and ponders if there is another way to achieve his goals. He angrily restarts time and Lois does her best to get between Jimmy and the energy blast…
Superman tries to reduce his red levels while fighting The Radiant and his army. The Superfamily are also helping keep the enemy at bay as Lex, Mercy and Lena try to formulate a plan. Lex asks Superwomans to redirect the fight into the air to isolate Doomsday, The Radiant and the invading forces. She does so pulling Superman out of the fight just as Lex activates Brainiac tech.
Within seconds Lex has them all trapped in one of Brainiac’s bottled cities. Mercy worries that because the bottled cities operate on a different plane of time and miniaturization that if Doomsday dies in the bottle he could evolve time abilities.
Lois and Clark glimpse each other and realize this may be the start of a chain reaction and demand Lex think of an immediate alternative. Lex, of course, is adamant that his way is the right way.
Lena interrupts the warring couples and tells them they all need to go to the hospital. Jimmy was hurt and has fallen into a coma.
Perry, Alice, Siobhan and Clark rally by Jimmy’s beside as Lois tortures herself over her recent actions. Too ashamed to visit Jimmy she waits outside the hospital until Superman arrives to comfort her. Lois regrets her enjoyment in superpowers and wishes she had been more responsible.
Siobhan, who notices Superwoman outside, transforms into Silver Banshee and attacks her. Superman places himself in between and far enough away that Lois’ identity is still intact. Banshee falls back but warns her that she is now an enemy to Superwoman and to watch her back.
In distant space, Lord Zod seeks a medical diagnosis for his power loss. A doctor surmises that as Zod hasn’t been under a yellow sun for a long time perhaps he needs to recharge under one to regain his abilities. Zod, wanting to hide the fact he is powerless, kills the doctor and makes plans to find a yellow sun.
Elsewhere, at the end of time, Time Trapper is angry at himself for failing to bend Superman and Superwoman to his will. His anger turns to terror when his sanctum in invaded by three visitors…
To Be Continued…
Story – 4: A very enjoyable issue. Storywise it is essentially an extension to the previous issue rather than a story in and of itself as nothing much really happens. That doesn’t mean it was bad, it was fantastic for character development! Lois’ character exploration and Time Trapper’s motivations were much needed and it was really captivating to see.
Side note: I am really happy something is happening with Silver Banshee once more, was super weird that she’s just been on the sidelines for so long.Art – 4: The frenetic pace in the issue is matched by some incredible layouts and panels. I am quite glad there are no splash pages this issue as the energy levels kept pace. I enjoyed every page and went back through a few times to enjoy the compositions and line work.Cover Art – 4: I love covers like this but they always have a bittersweet effect. When I saw it, I was ready for Superman and Time Trapper to beat the snot out of each other and when it doesn’t happen there is a tinge of disappointment. I really dislike this future version of Doomsday so I am champing at the bit for Superman to have this showdown! I guess you can look at it as beguiling anticipation. In that respect, this cover rocks!
Variant Cover (Guillem March) – 5: I really like this cover, there is a real pop art vibe to it, and it’s not often (I’d go as far as saying almost impossible to find in modern comics) that Clark Kent is actually the star of the cover. As a reader that is from the camp that Clark is the person and Superman is what he can do, this cover resonates with me on a real fan level.Variant Cover (Nathan Szerdy) – 5: Lois looks beautiful here even if the Superwoman suit isn’t the best design. The color palette complements the character and she looks almost like she’s about to fly away in a sort of ballet movement.Variant Cover (Dave Johnson) – 5: I am really sad that this great series of vintage ad variants is at an end. Dave, if you’re listening can you come back and do some more?! I love that they embrace the time period and are unabashedly fun and creative. Just like the Guillem March cover it harkens back to the pop art movement and I for one will really miss these.Variant Cover (Dan Panosian) – 4: Classic scene, really playing to my nostalgia. I like Doomsday especially back in the beginning when he was just a monstrous unstoppable force that came out of nowhere. I just want Superman to leap up and show him who’s boss. Panosian has really gone for an iconic scene here and it really does transport you back to that time.
Hush Variant Cover (Kaare Andrews) – 3: It is not that the cover isn’t good… it is a great depiction of a dark, moody Batman watching over Gotham, with a sinisterly gleeful Hush on his mind. But no matter how fantastic a piece of art, as a Superman variant it is pointless. I couldn’t honestly rate it higher as it offers nothing to a Superman reader at all, in the same way that if I was reading a Batman comic, I would be scratching my head at Superwoman fighting Mr. Mxyzptlk on it. I feel it does a real disservice to Andrews’ immense talent.
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