Superman is getting a new five-issue Black Label series this August: Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum from W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran. This sounds like a good fit for DC’s more experimental Black Label line: the Prince/Morazzo/O’Halloran team are the minds behind the quirky, surreal, and Eisner-nominated Ice Cream Man. This time out they’ll subject Superman every flavor of kryptonite under the yellow sun in a tale that looks to be like a very different take from the usual Man of Steel fare.
“We’ve developed a reputation for pretty left-of-center experimentation, with respect to comics storytelling,” said W. Maxwell Prince in a statement, “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?”
It’s nice to see DC taking some more chances, especially as the Summer of Superman unrolls
More art and quotes from the PR:
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 interior art by Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 interior art by Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran
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.
“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, a DC Black Label comic book written by W. Maxwell Prince with art and cover by Martín Morazzo, colors by Chris O’Halloran and lettering by Good Old Neon, including 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, arrives wherever comic books are sold on August 13, 2025. All covers will retail for $5.99 US. Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum will carry DC’s Ages 17+ content descriptor (for mature readers). Follow Superman into strange worlds, speculative what-ifs, and emotionally resonant stories that challenge what a Superman comic can be!
Interior art by Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran
Interior art by Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran
Variant cover by Tula Lotay
Superman: The Variant cover by Juan Ferreyra
Foil variant cover by Wes Craig
Variant cover by Alex Eckman-Lawn (1:25)
