Superman #25
Scheduled to arrive in stores: April 23, 2025
Cover date: June 2025
“Last Lex Standing”
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Jamal Campbell, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferriera & Dan Mora
Cover: Dan Mora
Variant Covers: Raf Grasseti, Jeff Dekal, Brad Walker & Trish Mulvihill, Guillem March, Laura Bragg, Dave Johnson, Fico Ossio
April Fools’ Variant Cover: Dan Hipp
Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel
We finally discover Lex’s original plan. Simplistic as it was, Mercy and Lex were committed to the end game… Until Lex came back (from House of Brainiac) a changed man.
His new outlook on life forced Mercy to step in and release a clone of Lex infused with Superman’s powers using all the information that they’d been gathering over his time at Supercorp. The result, Ex-L, was everything Lex dreamed he could be… once upon a time.
The escalation to violence was almost immediate as Ex-L, Superman and Superwoman took the devastation to the streets of Metropolis. Lena meanwhile tried to contact the original Lex and plea with him for help.
However a reformed Lex is attacked on his way to lock up in Stryker’s Island penitentiary by Marilyn. Moonlight. Lex makes a bargain with the spirit of justice that if she takes him to the battle, he will succumb to whatever revenge she seeks.
As Ex-L gains the upper hand in the battle, he suddenly stops and his face begins to crack and his speech begins to jumble.
Lex arrives and explains that Ex-L was dangerously overpowered and no matter what they learned in the process of monitoring Superman, the cloning process was still flawed. He is destined to become a Bizarro, the reason why Lex, back when he was a villain had not released him.
The sun begins to rise and Marilyn has to bow out of the fight, while Lex dons a battle suit. Superman and Superwoman battle Ex-L but he is able to outmatch them at every turn even while fighting off his transformation.
As Superman’s red levels rise he folds in the fight and Lois has to take the lead. Ex-L mocks her and threatens to kill her children. With every ounce of power she has she hits the villain so hard he smashes deep into the sidewalk.
Ex-L however is quick to recover. He extends his threat to everyone Lois and Clark know and the city itself. With Superman and Superwoman completely drained they realize they have failed and this could be the end for them and Metropolis.
Lex looks upon his monstrous reflection and pays a hefty price to save Superman and the city. A horrified Superman demands answers but Lois interrupts with some devastating news…
To Be Continued…
Story – 5: Worth the wait? One hundred percent. Were there niggles? Yes, one being Marilyn Moonlight as a McGuffin. The payoff was great. We learn Lex’s original plan, transparent as it was from day one (props to Superman for seeing through it at the get go) however, the scanners in the works were Mercy’s love of Lex’s dark lifestyle and Lex, the real one, turning his back on his former life. It isn’t that we couldn’t predict that Mercy was the Trojan Horse all along, it’s that we were all hoping Supercorps was genuine.
Not so much of a fan of Ex-L and the tropes he fell into, nor what the now reformed Lex was pushed to, though the parallels of what Superman went through with the Pocket Universe came rushing back. Overall a really good ending to Lex’s story arc with the promise of more to continue the story.Art – 5: I loved every page this issue. Everything was well paced and the shifts in art chores were masked with in-story transitions that help with a consistent tone. There are some truly gorgeous panels this issue and even though they were mostly of Ex-L and Lex, they were spectacular enough to immerse me in the story.Cover Art – 5: A cool montage of the events over the last twenty five issues, specials and spin-offs. As a single fold it doesn’t have as much impact for when you unfold it and see the passage of time. If there was one change it would be that Ex-L was fighting Superman rather than ‘good’ Lex. Though the balance of good and evil doesn’t escape me in thematics.Variant Cover (Rafael Grassetti) – 5: A cool cover! I’m not sure why it immediately makes be think of Henry Cavill, perhaps the side profile? Superman looks torn direct from a video game here, down to the computer rendered suit. Makes me really want to play a Superman video game!
Variant Cover (Jeff Dekal) – 3: I like the art but the negative space and framing of Superwoman makes me feel like something is missing. The white background really detracts from the great rendition of Lois.Variant Cover (Brad Walker) – 5: I will never tire of Death and Return era artwork. This cover is amazing! Whisks me back in time and it delivers on every level. My favorite cover of the variants. Who was your favorite Superman?
Variant Cover (Guillem March) – 4: I’m in two minds over this cover. While it is cool to see Superman trying to triumph over adversity and humanizing, I feel a piece of Kryptonite felling the Man of Steel especially on a milestone issue is a bit of a downer…Variant Cover (Laura Bragg) – 5: The core of Superman to some is not Superman’s heroics but his dynamic with Lois Lane. You just can’t beat a cover celebrating Lois and Clark. It’s such an optimistic, romantic cover further accentuated by the vibrant color scheme.Variant Cover (Dave Johnson) – 5: I’ve mentioned before my love and adoration for these themed covers. Dear Mattel, please make these toys a reality! A nice trip down memory lane that is a perfect homage to Superman’s silver age.Variant Cover (Fico Ossio) – 4: Two of my favorite Superman family members given the rare spotlight. Kara and Connor look like they mean business here! My only point to knock off here is the overpowering spectrum of light. It draws the focus away from the heroes because it is so strong.April Fools Variant Cover (Dan Hipp) – 5: A fun cover that reminds me that we haven’t had a fun/comedy Superman issue for a long time, nor a confrontation with the Joker. Take this cover as a sign that we need both! This cover embraces some of Superman’s sillier adventures. Another trip in nostalgia!
Check out the Mild Mannered Reviews contents page.
