Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4
Scheduled to arrive in stores: November 12, 2025
Cover date: January 2026
“Book Four”
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martin Morazzo
Cover: Martin Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran
Variant Covers: Juan Ferreyra, Mike Choi
Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel
Perry White berates Clark for a poorly written article of the sudden series of bizarre events that have befallen the Big Apricot. A walrus in a bowler hat and tie bursts into the office and makes a bizarre plea to Clark but nothing compared to Perry’s plea to button up the S showing through the mild mannered reporter’s shirt.
All is not as it seems, Lois and Batman are tending to a catatonic Superman. Batman explains that Superman’s mind has been transported to the fifth dimension, a real world of nonsense. Bruce explains that this type of situation calls for an expert, a doctor… Doctor Fate.
Fate examines Superman and determines that if they can’t wake him soon, Clark will die, but at this point Clark is completely immersed in the bizarre dimension.
Clark heads home and his pet fish Spitty repeats the message the walrus had told Clark ‘find my channel’. Switching on his television Mr. Mxyzptlk urges him to keep channel changing until he is free. Bursting to life May reveals that the fifth dimension is in trouble.
In the real Metropolis Lex is gleefully examining the variations of Kryptonite. He explains to his minion Emil that his recent tests had failed but on that path was success. A Kryptonite man cloned in his own image and irradiated with the multicolored shards.
Back to Mxy and Superman, the imp explains the biggest jerk of all time ‘Brian-iac’ is destroying the dimension as the embodiment of anti-imagination.
While Clark and Mxy flee Brian-iac (no you didn’t read it wrong the first time) Superman’s body in our dimension is beginning to fail. Batman asks Doctor Fate to transport him into the fifth dimension and upon arrival, Bruce is greeted by the familiar face of Bat-Mite.
Batman and Bat-Mite bump into Mxy and Superman as they are being chased and Bruce reaches out to Clark and a new persona is born from his mind, that of Kal-Elf. Through some gobbledegook and optimism, bizarre calculations and life experience, Superman is able to use his strength of will to defeat Brian-iac and save Mxy’s home.
As Batman and Superman materialize back into the real world they are greeted by Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen who fill in the duo on what’s just happened and why they have a battle on their hands!
To Be Continued…
Story – 4: If you thought this Black Label series was bizarre already, this issue tells you to ‘hold my beer’. It decides to elevate the silver age strangeness to new levels and if your head wasn’t spinning at the start, it will be by the end. Can I tell you what happened? Not really. Did I enjoy the zany levels of storytelling? Absolutely! I will grant you that as a whole this series is an acquired taste. But if, like Clark, you completely embrace it, maybe you will be right at home with Brian-iac and Mxy!
Art – 4: The Easter eggs are all over this issue, from photo collages to mixed media and little nods to continuity, it’s all there for the eagle eyed amongst you. I read the book through three times and I don’t think I found them all!
Cover Art – 5: I love this homage cover. It encapsulated not only the book but the era also. Even here in the cover art there are little clues and an attention to detail that builds on the chapter. Very clever, bright, colorful and wonderfully zany.
Variant Cover (Juan Ferreyra) – 5: Kal-Elf an Bat-Mite look a lot darker than I imagined here but coupled with a bewildered Superman and a classic Mr. Mxyzptlk it really works portraying some of the bizarre goings on! Beautifully drawn and painted. One of my favorite of this series.
Variant Cover (Mike Choi) – 3: Kal-Elf to me is fun and silly, exaggerating characteristics of Superman in a similar way Bat-Mite is to Batman. This is exemplified by the art style used, broad strokes, not strictly defined yet still arresting visually as a symbol. I’m not sure why but this mite looks sinister and is creeping me out a little!
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