DC’s Future State event saw young Jon Kent take up the mantle of Superman after his father left Earth for Warworld. The future is apparently arriving a lot sooner than expected, though, as DC has unveiled details on their slate of Superman titles for July. Among them is a relaunch for the main Superman title, which will now star Jon Kent in stories by the creative team of Tom Taylor and John Timms, as well as a long-rumored series by Grant Morrison and Mikel Janín teaming the man of steel with a new iteration of iconic Wildstorm team The Authority.

The main Superman series will relaunch as Superman: Son of Kal-El with Taylor, Timms, and colorist Gabe Eltaeb at the helm. Here’s DC’s description for the series:

Jonathan Kent has experienced a lot in his young life. He’s fought evil with Robin (Damian Wayne), traveled across galaxies with his Kryptonian grandfather, and lived in the future with the Legion of Super-Heroes, who were intent on training him for the day his father could no longer be Superman. There is a hole in the Legion’s history that prevents Jon from knowing exactly when that will happen, but all signs point to it being very soon. It’s time for the son to wear the cape of his father and continue the never-ending battle as a symbol of hope for his home planet.

Timms previously illustrated the Future State: Superman of Metropolis series which starred Jon, so he’s a natural fit for the new title. The series will be the second ongoing at DC for Taylor, along with the excellent Nightwing with artist Bruno Redondo.

Meanwhile, in Action Comics, the current creative team of writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artists Daniel Sampere and Adriano Lucas will follow the original Superman as he travels to Warworld to take on Mongul. Here’s DC’s description for July’s Action Comics #1033:

This issue takes the action to Atlantis and the Fortress of Solitude, where Warworld refugees have taken possession of dangerous Warworld tech, bringing it to Aquaman’s undersea kingdom and risking an all-out war that even Superman may not be able to prevent. Meanwhile, some of the escaped Warworld prisoners have found the Fortress of Solitude…and along with it, Lois Lane!

And in this 40-page blockbuster’s second feature, Midnighter has gone deep into the Trojan compound and found a very unexpected guest whose path he crossed in Future State—none other than Shilo Norman, a.k.a. Mister Miracle!

Though they are not named, the Midnighter stories will most likely be by the current creative team of Michael ConradBecky Cloonan, Michael Avon Oeming, and Taki Soma.

Morrison, Janín, and colorist Jordie Bellaire‘s four-issue miniseries, Superman and The Authority, will set up and build on elements of the storylines in both Superman: Son of Kal-El and Action Comics, as Superman assembles a new Authority team. The team will be made up of mainstays Midnighter and Apollo, along with Natasha Irons, Enchantress, new iterations of O.M.A.C. and Lightray, and team leader Manchester Black. The team will take on the Ultra-Humanite and a new team of villains.

The O.M.A.C. in the cover image bears more than a resemblance to classic Superman villain Rampage. It’s also interesting that Manchester Black will be on the team, as he was introduced in Action Comics #775, a story that featured Superman up against an Authority-esque team known as The Elite. Neither Morrison nor Janín are strangers to Superman, with the former having written the classic All-Star Superman and the latter having illustrated the recent Future State: Superman: Worlds of War miniseries.

Also coming in July is a new issue of Tom KingBilquis Evely, and Mat Lopes‘s eight-issue Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow miniseries:

Supergirl, Krypto, and their new friend Ruthye find themselves stranded with no way to pursue Krem, the murderous kingsagent. Each moment this fugitive roams free, the more beings come dangerously close to dying by his hand. There is no time to lose, so our heroes must now travel across the universe the old-fashioned way…by cosmic bus! Little do they know their journey will be a dark one, filled with terrors that not even the Maid of Might is prepared to face!

With DC’s overall focus pretty clearly on all things Batman, it’s good to see that they’re still putting big-name talent on their original flagship character. Superman: Son of Kal-El is due out on Tuesday, July 13th; Superman and The Authority #1 (of 4) and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #2 will follow on July 20th, and Action Comics #1033 will arrive in stores on July 27th.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Yay! King, Taylor and Morrison writing for the Superman titles! Boo, no Superman book. Hopefully when the main title returns, it will resume its legacy numbering — should be approaching #850 by now. Where’s Mark Waid?

  2. These sound dreadful, especially the King book; I expect that one to be as indulgently incoherent as the rest of his work. My consolation is that sales will undoubtedly be bad enough that the status quo (with decent writers) will once again be restored.

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