The creative team behind the acclaimed Ice Cream Man comic book series is bringing their signature style to Superman in a new five-issue DC Black Label series that sees newly discovered Kryptonite having unexpected effects on the Man of Steel. Titled Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum, the first issue will drop on August 13th, and we have all the details, along with preview pages and cover art.
From the Press Release: “The visionary minds behind the critically acclaimed and Eisner Award-nominated Ice Cream Man comic book series from Image Comics, W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran, are set to bring their signature storytelling sensibilities to DC this summer with a comic book series about one of the most iconic figures in pop culture: Superman. Genre-bending creators Prince, Morazzo and O’Halloran lend their signature blend of existential superhero fantasy/horror to the world of Superman in a new series that brings the Man of Tomorrow into contact with every flavor of Kryptonite under the yellow sun. The creative team will launch an all-new limited series that reimagines Superman through a daring, genre-defying lens.
Across the five innovative issues, Superman must look inward to find strength in his most famous weakness. Each issue promises to explore different facets of Superman’s character, mythos, and moral core, while bending narrative form in ways only Prince, Morazzo and O’Halloran can. While Ice Cream Man became a cult favorite for its surreal, often harrowing dive into horror and existential dread, this new Superman title marks a bold departure—eschewing horror in favor of introspective, fun, genre-fluid storytelling.
In the upcoming comic book series, four new Kryptonites have been discovered in deep space, and Superman needs to know just what, exactly, they do to him—lest the colorful rocks of his home planet fall into evil hands! With Batman at his side, this DC Black Label Superman five-issue event explores the consequences of each never-before-seen variety of Kryptonite—all in the formal, and boundary-pushing fashion, that Prince, Morazzo, and O’Halloran are celebrated for.”
“We’ve developed a reputation for pretty left-of-center experimentation, with respect to comics storytelling,” said W. Maxwell Prince, “and this is basically what we’re doing over the 5 issues of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum: using our unique voice in comics to tell a Supes yarn that’s both strange and timeless—out there and also totally grounded. You might know what Green, Red and Black Kryptonite does to Superman, but what about Purple? Or Cobalt? Or Speckled?”
“Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum is a story about new types of Kryptonite, and the effect those new types have on Kal-El and his world,” said DC group editor Paul Kaminski. “The series offers an opportunity to unleash the acclaimed Ice Cream Man creative team on the DCU, with episodic tales that play with storytelling styles. These tales are often warped, suspenseful and occasionally horrific, and lean into the rich stylings of the silver age Superman franchise.”
“Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum is art-pop storytelling with Superman by a creative team that makes as much of a statement about the book as its contents,” continued Kaminski. “This book stands out as a statement that the Man of Tomorrow is still looking toward the future for the kinds of talent and creativity that will feed the franchise for its next 85 years.”
“Paul’s not wrong,” countered W. Maxwell Prince, “But Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum isn’t just about the new Kryptonites and the wacky things they do to Supes. Martín, Chris and I want to tell a bonkers story that also explores real, human problems. These Kryptonite shards are, in fact, pieces of Kal-El’s home. It’s his own home that hurts him. This idea that ‘home hurts’ can also be applied to Batman, Wonder Woman, et al. So, we’re exploring that idea inside this framework of our usual experimental storytelling. Home can be traumatic—and yet there’s no place quite like it, as Dorothy reminds us. We’re interrogating all this stuff within the bookends of something decidedly wacky, and full of make-your-jaw-drop Man of Tomorrow moments. It’s what we do best: an admixture of sad, funny, and strange. (And, because it’s Superman, HAPPY!)”
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 is written by W. Maxwell Prince, with art (and a main cover) by Martín Morazzo, colors by Chris O’Halloran, and lettering by Good Old Neon, with variant covers by Tula Lotay and Juan Ferreyra, a foil variant cover by Wes Craig, and a 1:25 variant cover by Alex Eckman-Lawn. Check out cover art and preview pages below, and head over to DC.com to keep up with all of their upcoming releases, including Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum.
Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran Cover:
Preview Pages:
Tula Lotay Cover:
Juan Ferreyra Cover:
Wes Craig Foil Variant Cover:
Alex Eckman-Lawn (1:25) Variant Cover:
