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As hinted at last week with the announcement of Dan Slott and Rafael Albuquerque's new Superman Unlimited, DC is celebrating the Man of Steel with a whole raft of new comics this year. Now the publisher has revealed the full details for what it's calling the Summer of Superman – an event timed, of course, to tie in with James Gunn's upcoming movie.
This new slate will encompass issues of the regular Superman and Action Comics titles as well as a new one-shot, a globe-trotting anthology, and a new graphic novel. We have the full details of each project in order, plus lots of art, below, so let's break it all down...
Action Comics #1085
Action Comics #1085 will bring the year-long Superman Superstars initiative to an end, with the first instalment of a two-part story by G. Willow Wilson and Gavin Guidry.
"Lois Lane sends the Man of Steel to a scientific outpost in the Arctic to investigate a new technology that promises to halt global warming," reads DC's synopsis. "But when Superman arrives, he quickly finds out that the outpost has been plagued by a villain who plans to melt humanity's hopes for survival." The issue, out on April 9, will feature a main cover by Brad Walker, plus variants by Davide Paratore, Cully Hamner and Danny Earls.
Summer of Superman Special #1
This 48-page oversized one-shot brings together four of the biggest names in superhero comics for one spectacular special issue.
Mark Waid, Joshua Williamson, and Dan Slott have written "a single story in three acts" that will be fully illustrated by Jorge Jiménez and focus on the wedding of Lana Lang to John Henry Irons – AKA Steel. "However, their big day will also be big trouble, as threats from the past, present and future will spawn major new conflicts for the Superman family," reads DC's press release.
The Summer of Superman Special #1 is published on April 16 and will come with a slew of different covers to choose from, including a main and variant cover by Jiménez, and additional variant covers from Alexander Lozano, John Giang, Mahmud Asrar, Dan Jurgens, and Chrissie Zullo Uminga.
Superman #25
Anyone who has been following Superman's monthly adventures will know that his arch-enemy Lex Luthor has been going through a rough patch recently, having lost all of his memories. The time is almost right for Luthor to make his full return, however, and "fight for control of Supercorp and Metropolis" in a 48-page special issue.
Superman #25 is written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Dan Mora, Eddy Barrows, and Eber Ferreira. DC says that the issue "celebrates the last two years of Superman, connects to Summer of Superman Special #1, and sets up a brand-new storyline featuring Superman’s greatest enemy."
Dan Mora provides a gorgeous wraparound main cover for the issues, and there will be a huge range of variants available, including Guillem March, Jeff Dekal, Rafael Grassetti, Dave Johnson, Laura Braga, Fico Ossio, and Dan Hipp. It hits stands on April 23.
Superman: The World
The third instalment of DC's The World anthology series – hardcover collections featuring all new stories by comics creators from across the planet – focuses on the Man of Steel.
"Renowned Superman storytellers Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks join a team of 15 international creators to tell tales that highlight what makes Superman the greatest superhero of all," reads the blurb. It follows hot on the heels of previous The World books themed around Batman and the Joker, and will be in stores on June 24, arriving on the same day and date in Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Turkey, India, Cameroon, Poland, the Czech and Slovak Republics, and Argentina.
Superman's Good Guy Gang
As previously revealed, DC is launching a new line of early readers graphic novels aimed at kids aged 5–7. The first of these is Superman's Good Guy Gang, written and drawn by Death and Sparkles creator Rob Justus. The book introduces readers to Clark Kent – here aged eight – and his pint-sized pals Hawkgirl and Green Lantern Guy Gardner, "as they test their abilities, grow together and maybe even earn some good guy points along the way." It's out on July 1, with further books in the series planned to focus on Batman, Wonder Woman, and Mister Terrific.
Superman Day reprints
DC is also reprinting a raft of titles in new editions to celebrate Superman Day, which the company has been insisting is April 18 (rather than June 12) for some time now.
- All-Star Superman Deluxe Superman Day Edition hardcover, with a new dust jacket featuring art by Frank Quitely
- Superman Unchained Deluxe Superman Day Edition hardcover, with a new dust jacket featuring art by Jim Lee
- All Star Superman #1 Special Edition
- Superman For All Seasons Book One Special Edition
- Action Comics #1 Golden Age–Size Facsimile Edition featuring an homage cover by superstar artist Dan Mora
- Plus an excerpt of the upcoming young adult graphic novel Jimmy Olsen's Supercyclopedia
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