DC Comics and Superman 2023 Annual #1 Spoilers and Review follows.
Big Changes Made and Teased!
What To Expect.
SUPERMAN 2023 ANNUAL
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art by MAHMUD ASRAR, MAX RAYNOR, JACK HERBERT, and CAITLIN YARSKY
Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
Variant covers by JOCK and CHRIS SAMNEE
1:25 variant cover by EDWIN GALMON
1:50 variant cover by JORGE JIMENEZ
$5.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 US (card stock)Lois Lane is now editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, but at heart she’ll always be an investigative reporter. And lately Metropolis has had a whole new set of secrets she must uncover. Even if it means investigating her own husband…Superman!
Featuring Livewire, Parasite, and Mercy, this special issue is your next big puzzle piece leading to a massive Superman crossover in 2024!
Don’t miss out!
In addition the main cover and solicitation above the title has a few variant covers below.
Superman 2023 Annual #1 Spoilers and Review.
The book opens with a dramatis personae of sorts identifying the staff of the Daily Planet with Lois Lane as Editor-In-Chief after form EIC Perry White’s serious health scare.
Lois Lane sends key staff across Metropolis for stories for their next edition including a story on Supercorp by Lisa Lombard and Jimmy Olsen.
That’s when we learn how Supercorp has rehabilitated, to a certain extent, the Parasite who ends up with a parasitic alien / monster pet by the end of that arc.
Then there is a pretty cool Marilyn Moonlight story that shows some character depth for the Daily Planet’s Cat Grant.
Cat Grant had been doing a ride-along with new MCPD Chief Neo Kekoa when a crime broke out necessitating Marilyn Moonlight’s intervention.
There was also a story on Livewire plus late submitted one by MIA Daily Planet staffer Clark Kent.
Lois Lane and husband Kent aka Superman are also still working to unravel the secret history of Lex Luthor’s initial attempt at super-heroism, well before Superman arrived on the scene, that they discover was suppressed and hidden from Metropolis citizenry by Perry White who had seemingly expressed interest in running to be Metropolis Mayor back in the day.
Finally, we begin to end with Dr. Pharm and his brother Graft seemingly kidnapping Lobo, the last son of Czarnia, whose daughter Crush, not captive, is the last daughter of Czarnia, or so they thought.
It would seem Brainiac had bottled the City of Czarnia and we may have a lot more dangerous, erratic and powerful Lobo-level characters on the horizon.
Equally frightening are Brainiac’s Doomsday-like giant hounds evoking, but really surpassing, the horror of Darkseid’s Warhounds from the classic Legends event limited series.
The Pulse.
Quite surprised there was not a lot Superman in an annual with his name in the title. That said this World of Metropolis was quite engaging as the characters are compelling. Solid art through eclectic art teams. Those last few pages have huge consequences going forward. 7.5 out of 10.
