The 2022 New York Comic Con was recently held over the past weekend, and as always, DC Comics played a massive part in the event’s festivities. DC held several panels over the weekend, revealing major announcements and new information regarding upcoming storylines for all of their characters.
However, one character (and his supporting cast) in particular received a special focus over the weekend. From full relaunches to the return of iconic characters, NYCC 2022 was a banner weekend for Superman and his family of characters.
10/10 Superman #1 Releases In February 2023
Likely the biggest Superman news coming from NYCC is the official return of Clark Kent as the Superman of the mainline Superman comic series. Since 2021, the book has been rebranded as Superman: Son of Kal-El and followed Jon Kent taking on the mantle of his father while the latter is away from Earth, while Clark’s adventures have primarily taken place in Action Comics with its Warworld storyline.
Now, the Superman title is once again relaunching with a new #1 issue from the team of writer Joshua Williamson and artist Jamal Campbell.
9/10 The Adventures Of Superman: Jon Kent
Just because Superman: Son of Kal-El is ending with its eighteenth issue, it doesn’t mean that Jon Kent’s adventures as Superman are coming to an end. DC Comics is reviving its The Adventures of Superman title with a new miniseries entitled The Adventures Of Superman: Jon Kent.
Superman: Son of Kal-El writer Tom Taylor will return to pen the series, while Clayton Henry will be providing the art. Of note, it has been confirmed that Jon Kent will finally square off with Ultraman, the evil Superman of Earth-3 in this series.
8/10 Val-Zod Returns
Another important selling point of The Adventures Of Superman: Jon Kent is its promise to feature the return of the iconic Superman character Val-Zod. The Superman of Earth-2, Val-Zod was created by Tom Taylor, which makes it entirely unsurprising that he will be popping up in Taylor’s new Jon Kent series.
With a battle for Jon against Ultraman of Earth-3 promised, as well as more unexpected twists and turns hinted at, fans will have to wait and see just exactly what role Val-Zod will play in the events of the miniseries.
7/10 The New Action Comics Format
With the relaunch of Superman and Clark Kent’s return to the mainline series, Action Comics will be undergoing a reformatting. The series, starting at issue #1051 will be shifting to a three-story format with different sets of writers.
It is just one part of the franchise’s plans to place an increased focus on the Superman Family and its wide array of beloved characters, looking create a variety of stories that highlights each of its heroes.
6/10 Lois And Clark 2: Doom Rising
In addition to the continuation of its Metallo arc, one of the new stories featured in Action Comics will be Lois and Clark 2: Doom Rising, a sequel to the 2015 miniseries Superman: Lois And Clark, which reintroduced post-crisis Superman and Lois Lane after the events of the New 52.
The team behind that story, Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks, returns once again for the sequel. What may excite fans the most is that it will be set in the past and feature a young Jon Kent fighting the Doombreaker. Jon Kent’s aging up was a major controversy when it occurred, with many fans missing the younger Jon Kent and his adventures with Damian Wayne.
5/10 Power Girl Story
The other story to be featured in Action Comics is a three-part Power Girl tale. Power Girl, having originated from Earth-2, has had a complicated history in DC Comics, disappearing from the main universe just as quickly as she reenters it.
However, this new story seems to firmly reestablish Power Girl in the Superman Family, and what’s more, will hold connections to DC’s upcoming Lazarus Planet event that Power Girl will play a major part in. The story will come from the team of writer Leah Williams and artist Marguerite Sauvage.
4/10 New Costumes
One of the most exciting things about a relaunch in comics is often the new costumes doled out to the iconic characters, and that is no exception for the Superman family of characters.
Everyone from classic Silver Age characters such as Supergirl to 90s stars like Superboy Conner Kent to new and exciting additions such as Kong Kenan are all receiving revamped wardrobes. The theme for the new costumes seems to be jackets, and everyone is certainly rocking their new looks.
3/10 Superman Vs Lex Luthor
While Superman doing battle with the corrupt businessman and powerful politician Lex Luthor is so commonplace within the history of DC Comics that an announcement about it happening again would hardly seem to qualify as a major reveal, it should be noted that there seems to be special circumstances regarding their next battle.
Not only does Luthor finally end up behind bars, but Luthor finally accepts that the world needs Superman and that he is determined to shape that Superman to his wishes. It’s been hinted at that thanks to Superman’s super-hearing, and Lex’s abuse of it, the two will mentally clash more than ever despite Luthor’s incarceration.
2/10 Jimmy Olsen Will Date A Supervillain
The panel teased a lot of fun storylines coming up, maybe none more than the upcoming subplot involving everyone’s favorite photojournalist, Jimmy Olsen. In a storyline seemingly ripped right from his whacky Silver Age adventures with Superman, Jimmy Olsen will find himself accidentally dating a supervillain.
The potential for fun coming from such a ridiculous scenario is unbelievable, and audiences are already anticipating finding out who Jimmy’s gonna fall in love with and just exactly how he’s going to get out of this messy situation.
1/10 John Henry Irons And Natasha Irons Will Have A Prominent Role
The revamping of Superman brings with it a revamping of the iconic city of Metropolis. It is said that the city will be undergoing, according to Phillip Kennedy Johnson, a “Kryptonization” that will see Metropolis embrace technology and live up to its moniker of “The City of Tomorrow.”
Two characters known for their implementation of advanced technology and innovation, John Henry Irons and his niece Natasha Irons, are hinted at playing major roles in this new Metropolis. Both heroes are known to hold the mantle of Steel, and it will be interesting to see what part the Irons play in Metropolis’s transformation.
