Superman #34
Scheduled to arrive in stores: January 28, 2026
Cover date: March 2026
“I, Superman”
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferriera
Cover: Dan Mora
Variant Covers: Kyoyong Eom, Rod Reis, Ariel Olivetti, Mario “Fox” Foccillo & Prasad Rao (Pressy), Dave Johnson
Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel
Superman and Kelex build a series of Superman robots, they are limited in superpowers but they retain Clark’s full memory, characteristics and moral code. Superman, concerned with how alike they are, and how they might be misused decides to power them down until such a time that they can be used properly. Surprisingly to him they also reach the same conclusion.
That was many years ago…
Today Lois and Superboy Prime have the hidden library of Lara Lor-Van uploaded into one of those robots and are racing to find Superman or Time Trapper to give them the information they need to defeat Darkseid.
While they race to save the day Dark Legion’s Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl invade the Fortress and rescue Sun Boy. He updates them on Prime’s plan and reveals that Prime tricked him into repowering Superwoman.
Imra browses the Fortress holograms and finds one that honors the Legion and how much love they have for Superman and he vice versa. Imra feels sadness that this Legion has everything her Legion didn’t under Darkseid’s rule. Garth reminds her that he loves her, but Imra forbids him to mention his feelings again in case it reached Darkseid and meant their demise.
As Prime and Superwoman approach the tournament, the Superman Robot hears cries for help and cannot in good conscience leave anyone needing help and rushes to the rescue. Prime, is in disbelief given their mission but as he witnesses tie Robot’s selflessness rescuing a team of hapless super villains, something in him reminds him of the hero he wishes to be.
The rescue slows them down but they arrive in the aftermath of Booster Gold’s defection. Time Trapper reveals Darkseid had taken over Booster’s body and was a Trojan horse. Lois reveals that all is not lost as she and the Superman Robot have information to help save everyone.
Of course this is the moment the Dark Legion arrive and incapacitate Lois, the robot and Time Trapper.
Prime however is far from ready to give up and is ready to unleash the full fury of Superman.
To Be Continued…
Story – 4: This was a great issue but not for a real storyline. There was no real core story as it was essentially filler for the big event but what did happen was a good expansion for Prime’s growth and a look at Superman’s character even through the lens of a facsimile. As I said. There wasn’t much in the way of traditional sequential storytelling but the character moments were good. If it wasn’t a tie-in I think I’d have had more of a problem but in context of the bigger event, it works.
Art – 4: There is a lot of panel work in this issue and because of the nature of this issue there’s not much opportunity for Barrows and Ferriera to really go to town but you can see the occasional half page creativity surge. I’m I big fan and just wish there were more opportunity for action this issue.
Cover Art – 4: There is something so Jack Kirbyesque about this cover and I’m here for it! If I were to pick out something that doesn’t work as well as it could, it’s the red hues. I feel they slightly overpower the foreground.
Variant Cover (Kyoyong Eom) – 4: Star reporter Lois Lane has been missing in action for a while and sorely missed. I’m glad we have a cover spotlighting her rather than the Superwoman identity. This image is pretty iconic spotlighting aspects of her character, it’s fantastic!
Variant Cover (Rod Reis) – 5: Is there any more epic an image than Superman smashing through a wall? I’m here from the earliest days of the Homepage when the opening page was a stunning image of said action. (Steve knows the one I mean!) This is bold and colorful, and packing a punch! Pardon the pun!
Variant Cover (Ariel Olivetti) – 4: I love this art style, so much so I wish I could see it in motion. My only nitpick is I wish the background wasn’t so industrial based, I think an arena such as Warworld or some rubble would have been awesome, but honestly just look at Superman here, he is rendered perfectly!
Variant Cover (Mario “Fox” Foccillo and Prasad Rao (Pressy)) – 3: I’m not the intended audience for this cover, I can only review it on my personal taste and its impact on me but if it works for you and you really enjoy it, that’s the most important thing. I appreciate the style and the impact it has visually but it’s not a style I’m a big fan of, there is no doubt a huge amount of skill that has gone into it and it looks like it would be fun on the screen! As a cover it’s perhaps a bit too loud for this old curmudgeon.
Punk Rock Variant Cover (Dave Johnson) – 5: This. Is. Epic. Ever since the new movie came out I was waiting for someone to tackle this image with Superman in mind. I couldn’t have asked for more! Awesome! I wish there were a series of variants on this variant!
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