Sam Rakestraw Comic Reviews

'Action Comics #1063' concludes one of the best Superman and Bizarro showdowns in contemporary comics. Its been an action-packed Superman story that deals with sanity which is often a theme that Batman explores.

Action Comics #1066 is the latest in Brainiacs fight against Superman, not just in this story but historically. The Brainiac Queen tests the waters of the universe shes soon to inhabit as an antagonist. At the same time, as the houses of El and Brainiac continue to feud, the house of Luthor may be the ace in the hole.

Whenever Superman is in an arena of sorts, you know its going to be an event of a comic book. The action in Action Comics #1069 satisfies thanks to Simones immersive narrating, making you not only hear how loud the blows are but the motivation of why they are being thrown in the first place. This is the kind of writing comics need more of.

Action Comics #1084 wraps up a story about reformation and literal/metaphorical loss of hope that goes hand-in-hand with Superman. By this storys logic, hope is in our DNA and thats really uplifting and comforting just make sure supervillains dont steal it.

On one hand, you have a classic Superman vs. an evil robot battle, climate change as a theme, and the most satisfying kind of action in a Superman comic when it comes to Action Comics #1086. On the other, it can be a story that is overlooked for its simplicity. This review does argue for it, however.

Action Comics #1090 revisits everything that makes Superboy and Superman origin stories and even offer new lenses to see them out of. While theres only two panels worth of new developments, the spike in entertainment this series has gotten since Summer of Superman began is still fresh.

Action Comics #1092 doesnt need to start off the next Superboy arc with a bang. Instead, its with introspection and that classical question of the two egos that has been debated throughout the decades and across media.

With the most dramatic thing about Action Comics #1095 being the cover, readers have no choice but settle down and listen to Pete Ross for better or worse. At least this character gets a cool retcon, that if true, makes him one of Clark’s truly best friends.

Batman/ Superman: Worlds Finest #25 is a nice spiritual follow-up to issues #18 and #19 wherein we see one of their enemies first meetings. Its no grand spectacle, but it has been a while since weve had a Lex Luthor and Joker adventure even if it is just breaking into a heros hideout.

(10/10) Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #26 has fans rushing for the comic book store this week and its not hard to see why. The Worlds Finest teams up with the Worlds Funnest for whats going to be an unforgettable adventure with everything a fan could love.

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #27 brings the contest that began in the last issue to a close in just as chaotic a matter as it began. Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk are beginning to come off as the main protagonists of this arc as they do anything to increase the odds in our heroes and Earths favor. If there is a big if to Doom-Mites endgame, it has yet to be revealed.

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #28 continues a visually spectacular adventure and battle with one of the most powerful characters DC has ever seen. Though you may want more from Batman and Superman themselves in this issue, there are far too many insane things happening to keep you entertained in the meantime. And, to think that Batman said these adventures werent supposed to be fun.

Batman/Superman Worlds Finest #29 is a magical finale to what has been a magically fun story, and that is meant literally. Coming in a close with Return to Kingdome Come, Impossible is one of the best and must-read arcs in Mark Waids and Dan Moras Eisner-snubbed series.

After the sprint, its time for the cool down and thats what Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #30 delivers. Its a major improvement from the last one-shot we had, which had the problem of having too many pages for what it was. This one may feel like it has too few pages for what it is.

Eclipso has returned and has Batman, Superman, and the rest of the Justice League in his sights. Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #31 has everything that makes a DC comic easy to pick up and read with its big hero cast beyond just our two protagonists and immediate attack from Eclipso with no game of cat and mouse. Plus, its always inspiring to see the rise of a new artist.

You get two whole super teams for the price of a team-up in Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #32 in the battle against Eclipso. Batman and Superman havent been in unwillingly antagonist roles in this series yet and who better to get them back than DCs original team the Justice Society?

I hope you have the reflexes of Superman himself because Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #33 is all over the place as the Justice League and Justice Society attempt to corner Eclipso with the sun in his sights. Its madness all around the world with so much going on in such a short span of time in what is meant to be the final issue in the Eclipso arc.

Judging a book by its cover, Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #34 seems like a fun, little mystery (almost self-ware) to find our missing heroes but its made apparent that its not from the start. Krypto and Ace can make it fun at times and Batgirl is nice, which may leave readers wanting more.

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #35 begins an undersea adventure that has some big potential. A strong Aquaman subplot could be on the horizon with a young Arthur still trying to gain his peoples respect as King at this point in his life.

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #36 takes a little bit to get to the point that the synopsis describes and that can cost some pages, but the entire second act of this issue makes up for it with a spicy twist.

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #37 rounds it back to Aquaman for some arc closure with a tale of two kings that gets us to care about this Atlantis cast, who are worthy of their own series within the Aquaman mainline.

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #38 goes All-In at DC with the first entry in the We Are Yesterday crossover event. Gorilla Grodd returns in his full glory as one of the main members of the Legion of Doom in one of his boldest attacks yet. The main theme of this story has yet to be revealed, but its hard to beat a read that fun from the first to the last page.

It's a tale of two Worlds Finests in Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #39 in both the past and present. This chapter also helps to shake up We Are Yesterday after the slower burn of the last one.

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #40 is the most jam-packed and out-of-pocket one-shot in the series. It continues the series tradition of spotlighting supporting characters from Superman and Batmans respective casts, but this time has far more to excite the reader.

It's time for inverse and backwards problem solving in Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #41 as Bizarro World faces a crisis of its own. Stories like these are why the demented Superman Wonderland keeps coming back.

Batman Superman Worlds Finest #42 gives our heroes unlikely allies and a new, but familiar, threat out of nowhere. The Bizarros steal the show in this one in yet another Bizarro World story dealing with sanity and how it is defined.

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #43 avoids the same traps that previous concluding arc issues fell into. It also reminds us that superheroes rescue, and advert disasters as opposed to just beating and subduing villains, even though we often like to see the latter.

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #44 is good, humorous energy set to a normal day in the life of superheroes. Call it a canon or head canon, whatever Robin and Supergirl have going on here is very appealing.

Batman Superman Worlds Finest #45 finally gives us the Lex Luthor and Joker story arc we were teased way back in #25. This time, theyre coming for the Man of Steel and Dark Knight in a way that only this series could pull off.

We got our own unofficial DC K.O. match right here in Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #46. Superbat returns and this time, its going to be challenged. But to what ends?

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #47 continued our highly contested fusion and merger nemesis match and surprises us with a profound dive in why Clark kept his alter ego from those closest to him at a time when it hardly matters anymore. Call me crazy, I also see some DC Studios Superman inspiration in some scenes.

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest 2025 Annual #1 moves the 'We Are Yesterday' crossover inches forward but offers prime DC content with Superman and Batman going against their biggest villains without the current climate of the present DC continuity. This once again feels like these characters are being brought back to their roots for better or worse. That being said, this issues strongest suit is the art and action.

DC K.O. Boss Battle #1 condenses an ultra-crossover into a 31-page issue. Some encounters clearly got more time than others and readers will commonly tell you they wished they had more. However, there are moments where I had to put the issue down to pump my fist in celebration. You know what parts Im talking about.

DC K.O. Superman vs Captain Atom #1 delivers the reading experience equivalent of being punched into orbit. This is what we like to see! The only criticism is that DC didnt start All Fight Month sooner.

DC K.O. The Kids Are All Fight Special #1 is the black sheep of the event. The characters are too obscure to warrant a special of their own as if they are established to the average reader, Jon Kent remains the underutilized background character hes been since Dark Crisis, and theres far too many referrals to other series.

Now, we all turn our attention to House of Brainiac for the latest in what will be the final bridge before Absolute Power kicks off for the summer. The FCBD Absolute Power Special Edition is a nice little treat while we wait.

Look out Apex Luthor, Martian mind-powered Grodd is here and definitely going to be a problem for the DC Universe as a whole with Justice League Unlimited #6. Hes pulled off a time heist for the Legion of Doom and how he did it was just despicable.

The villains journey comes ahead in Justice League Unlimited #7 and the penultimate chapter in We Are Yesterday. At this point, its fair to assume that the we could refer to the Legion of Doom since this has been their story the whole time. The how and why of Grodds master plan have been revealed, but it feels like the what has yet to be revealed.

Everything to love about DC and their characters all across time, especially in the last 30 years, is present in Justice League Unlimited #8. Different incarnations and iterations take the stage as time literally makes its last stand against Grodd. This is the pivotal issue from DC to close out June 2025.

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #1 kicks off the sequel to a blockbuster series with a suicide mission of a Titan battle and a speedy return to Legendary Earth. Though much more titans seem abound in this adventure.

Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong 2 #3 can feel like a chore to get through in some places, there are some cool Superman moments, which are what makes this issue worth reading.

While most superhero vs. Godzilla stories tend to go whole hog and even mad with power, Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #4 does it differently by keeping a long awaited rematched simple, grounded, and still with all the same amount of excitement.

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #6 is the setting up of the dominoes before knocking them down as the penultimate issue. It has a habit of cutting away just before something is about to go down. The redeeming qualities just barely save it from.

One of the biggest questions when season one came out was if there was Dr. Ivo, then where was his most famous creation? His debut is right here in My Adventures With Superman #1, at the same time, how will this tie into the new season? There are plenty of reasons to get on this limited series.

My Adventures With Superman #2 is a cool issue because it feels exactly what the show was pitched as a Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen adventure without much Superman intervention. As it would happen, the battle for Amazos sentience isnt the only one that is just beginning.

After season two took us to the furthest reaches of space, My Adventures With Superman #3 continues our heroes down-to-earth adventure of tangling with rival government agencies and quest to free Amazo from their clutches. Good thing nothing happens on bridges in superhero stories, right?

Get ready for Christmas in September with My Adventures With Superman #4. Family is an essence of Superman stories and often something that gives us power. It looks like Amazos gift will be a heart. But will he get a chance to use it?

If you like stories like The Iron Giant, then youre going to love My Adventures With Superman #5. Its that pivotal chapter in those tales about machines trying to escape their fates the way humans do. As Hogarth Hughes said, You dont have to be a gun, you choose.

The Iron Giant-inspired take on Amazo ends and comes full circle in My Adventures With Superman #6. There are still some questions about how exactly it ties into season two, but we got a great Amazo story to add to the list of the characters evolution from a power-copying villain to a profound question of purpose and even humanity.

Superman #19 is the kick this series needed with a Superfamily focus much like on Action Comics and House of Brainiac and is already more exciting than the previous arcs, though they all had their qualities. It also kind of feels like a 90s Dan Jurgens story with the return of Doomsday and inclusion of a time traveling figure that deals with Supermans future.

Once a slower Superman title, now the best Superman series on the market, and it's thanks to this story and were only two issues into it. Superman #20 absolutely spoils us with nonstop Superman (and Superwoman) vs. Doomsday action and turns the kick it gives this series into a body slam.

Superman #21 continues the interlude that Superwoman Special #1 began which feels like more of an interlude within the Doomsday story at hand. But if thats the case, then its good filler. The holidays are in full swing, but Lois and Clark make us feel like it's Valentines Day.

Superman #22 makes it clear that there arent just stakes for Superman, but Doomsday too in what is shaping up to be a major chapter in the one that killed Supermans story. When the trade of this story arc comes out, it should be included in any readers essential Doomsday reading list.

The official synopsis for Superman #23 is inaccurate and this works tremendously in its favor as it closes out this chapter in Doomsdays elusive saga explosively rather than intricately. And, with the road ahead it seems like the post-Absolute Power Superman hot streak may continue.

Superman #24 doesnt fall into the trap of feeling like an interlude issue after the explosive previous one. Lex continues taking baby steps toward his true return while someone else seems to have already taken his place with the question of whether Superman should share his alien technology, the bad and the good, for Earths benefit being explored.

Ladies and gentlemen, the best Superman comic of 2025 is here with Superman Treasury 2025: Hero for All #1! Everything that makes Superman stories great is here with the foremost name in Man of Steel history. Its a major entry in the Superman canon, its highly adaptable for any media its everything a superhero comic can be.

Superwoman Special #1 feels like more of an interlude than a special as the traditional Lois Lane-trying-to-write story is turned upside down by her status as Superwoman. A lot of gaps are filled between Absolute Power and now and the reason behind her powers is revealed.