Ray: This series has had one of the most fascinating concepts of any book out from DC right now, introducing new forms of Kryptonite that so far have turned Superman gigantic and turned his perception of time non-linear. Now, for the third issue, a strange effect caused by Luthor and the Justice League has reverted Superman to the age of a pre-teen, with all the emotional dysregulation one would expect. Fortunately, he’s got a playdate – Shazam has agreed to keep Superman company while they search for a cure. The two of them play video games, discuss their complex feelings about being orphans, and draw – and the latter is where this issue finds its magic. The simple picture-book style illustrations as both of them grapple with the trauma of their early lives are brilliant, and really capture the unconventional style of Ice Cream Man at its most emotional and poignant.

Luthor, meanwhile, is back on his BS plotting revenge and reveling in Superman’s plight. Lois makes an attempt to get him arrested, but he’s covered his bases – and is now working with Sivana and Toyman to develop his next plan to target the two currently-kid heroes. This involves a creepy, robotic amusement park that of course serves as perfect bait to the two tweens, as they avoid all the creepy signs at the abandoned park and board the roller coaster to their doom. The visuals in this issue are so delightfully nuts throughout, but this is also by far the strongest issue when it comes to its character work. Its take on Superman is so haunted, in a way that’s incredibly rare to see in the comics. The ending resolves this issue’s crisis – but also unleashes a new one, as Superman seemingly discovers the hidden hand behind the new Kryptonite and gets tossed into a bizarre new adventure. A brilliant issue that’s likely to wind up on a lot of top ten lists.

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Source: geekdad.com